Research Library

Despite innovations in information and communication technologies, Mexico has experienced slow productivity and GDP growth over recent decades. For insights into why the country’s economic progress has been limited, read nonresident scholar James Gerber’s new research paper for the Center for the U.S. and Mexico.

The challenges faced in the Texas electricity market are well publicized, but not insurmountable. Julie A. Cohn presents key findings and recommendations to address concerns about the reliability of the Texas energy grid. Several issues to watch have bearing on the state’s economy and the well-being of its population. Moreover, the outcomes of proposed policies to address various issues carry implications for electrification and the deployment of renewable energy well beyond Texas.

The transportation industry is squarely impacted by energy transitions. Ed Emmett discusses the importance of a nation’s transportation system for its economic health, much like a circulatory system is critical for the health of the individual. Shifting to new transportation energy sources poses challenges because, in some applications, it requires not just a change in the technology embodied in the mode of transportation, but an overhaul of the entire system. Each mode of transportation — from cars to shipping fleets to planes — faces different constraints that impact the economic viability of different fuel sources and methods of scaling.

Electricity demand in Texas is evolving, posing major challenges for grid reliability. Center for Energy Studies experts lay out ways ERCOT, Texas’ grid operator, can enhance reliability and resource adequacy.

Progress on the UN’s sustainable development goals — aimed at achieving peace and prosperity for all people and the planet — has been slow. However, fellow Harris A. Eyre and his co-authors explain how applying a brain capital framework could change the trajectory.

Is the electric grid ready for the era of decarbonization? Nonresident scholar Julie A. Cohn explains why new inverter technology could prove vital for preventing outages and grid instability.

How can Texas secure an affordable, sustainable, and reliable power supply for all its citizens? This report explores key insights from research conducted at Rice University.

Under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico is squandering a once-in-a-generation opportunity to encourage significant new foreign investment. His successor will need to reverse course, writes David A. Gantz, the Will Clayton Fellow in Trade and International Economics.

As the U.S. doubles down on trade protectionism, it risks weakening the global trade system and harming the American businesses, workers and consumers it aims to protect.

Electronic waste is surging globally, presenting growing threats to the environment and human health. Rachel A. Meidl explains how coordinated action can help us move to a sustainable, circular economy of electronics.