Research Library

Texas should invest in its public pre-K program to address pandemic losses and provide valuable high-quality early learning opportunities for eligible students.

Vaccines are one of the most successful and significant public health measures in the 20th century. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, they have become more politicized. A new Science and Technology Program report analyzes the vaccine-voting records of state legislators with health backgrounds, finding that party affiliation is a significant predictor of voting behavior.

Clean electricity technologies are here, and they’re affordable. So why does most of our power in the U.S. still come from fossil fuels? Daniel Cohan joined Baker Briefing to explain how bureaucratic bottlenecks have led to a backlog of wind, solar, and battery storage power projects that could, if built, revolutionize the grid and greatly reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change and air pollution.

The Supreme Court cannot tackle the challenge of free speech on social media alone; the public must also step up and advocate for meaningful reforms to U.S. social media policies.

Texas can counter rising health care costs and declining health outcomes by investing more of its annual $46 billion health care budget on non-medical services that address the social, economic, and environmental conditions affecting Texans’ health. Read about it in this new policy brief.

Raising the purchasing age for semiautomatic rifles to age 21 years in Texas has the potential to save lives while preserving firearm ownership for the majority of the population.

Both presidential candidates have endorsed a policy of no tax on tips. But would this approach really help the low-income workers it’s meant to support? Fellow Joyce Beebe reviews the current tax treatment of tip income, summarizing the main arguments against such a policy, potential impacts, and possible alternatives

Recently proposed federal legislation would require the Texas electrical grid to connect to the Eastern and Western Interconnections. While connecting the Texas grid may offer more power to the state and beyond, it would not eliminate the state’s energy reliability, connectivity, or outage concerns. Thus, policymakers should shift their focus to funding a thorough, practical study of all the issues involved in Texas grid integration, writes nonresident scholar Julie A. Cohn.

Vaccines are a valuable, cost-effective public health tool to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. It is vital that the next U.S. administration fosters innovation and expands vaccination programs to prevent outbreaks, save lives, reduce health care costs, and promote a healthier, more resilient society, write Rekha Lakshmanan and Kirstin R.W. Matthews.