As Mexico faces a potential return to single-party rule, its ability to attract foreign direct investment is diminishing, writes fellow David A. Gantz. In this issue brief, he explores a range of factors contributing to Mexico’s adverse investment climate.
Despite a cap on Houston’s property tax collections, these taxes have outpaced population growth and inflation, writes fellow John W. Diamond. This issue brief examines the rise in property tax revenues and proposes strategies for maintaining a sustainable city budget.
Hoping to expand trade relations post-Brexit, the U.K. is forming nonbinding memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with individual U.S. states. Fellow David A. Gantz’s report navigates the complex political terrain and economic promises of these MOUs with a focus on the U.K.’s agreements with Texas and Washington.
From 2020 to 2023, sales of hemp-derived cannabinoids increased by 1,283%, reaching a value of $2.78 billion last year. Although the Texas hemp industry is booming, lack of regulation poses risks to public health. A new brief from the Drug Policy Program makes specific recommendations for strengthening and enforcing current laws — ensuring consumer safety while also providing economic benefits for the state.
Climate change, conflict, and displacement in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region present overlapping challenges to policymakers. This new joint report from the Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East and United States Institute of Peace examines four key components — natural resources, urban fragility, gendered impacts, and international financing — and makes specific recommendations to address these complex issues.
Kelsey Norman, Ana Martín Gil, Robert BarronMay 21, 2024
How do urban redevelopment and revitalization projects impact a community’s small businesses? A new report by Alisha Small, scholar for economic growth, and co-author Lebena Varghese details survey results from business owners in Houston’s Third Ward, a historically African American community experiencing economic and demographic change.