Baker Institute

Baker Institute survey highlights illicit medical pot use in Texas, law shortcomings

With the passage of the Compassionate Use Act in 2015, the state of Texas officially recognized cannabis as medicine.

Houston fighting floods with losing strategy, says Rice U. expert

Understanding climate change is key to solving the Houston area's flooding woes, but there are major problems with the current approach, according to an environmental expert from Rice University.

Border issues nothing new but pose challenge for Biden, says Baker Institute expert

What’s happening at the U.S.-Mexico border is neither new nor the result of recent policy changes by President Joe Biden

Pandemic’s end now in sight, experts say

On the day after President Biden announced that every American will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine by May 1, two top Rice University scientists focused on the pandemic voiced both optimism and grave concern.

US must prepare for long-term economic fallout from pandemic, says Baker Institute expert

The U.S. economy appears to be improving, but the pandemic will have a lasting macroeconomic impact, according to an expert from Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Biden should issue executive order granting ‘Dreamers’ citizenship, paper argues

The pathway to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status —otherwise known as getting a green card — is full of roadblocks for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) beneficiaries, according to new research from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Advanced recycling strategies needed to clean up plastic pollution problem, says Baker Institute expert

Sustainability across the entire value chain — rather than advances in technology alone — is required to solve the United States’ plastic waste problems, according to a new brief from Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Biden must act swiftly on China trade policy, Baker Institute expert says

Competition with China is the United States' "existential challenge now and for the next three or four decades" and must be addressed by the White House immediately, according to a new report from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Marijuana policy will remain racially inequitable without federal intervention, experts say

Inequities in marijuana policy persist because of a failure to center reform around racial justice, according to a new report by experts at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy in the American Bar Association publication The Judges’ Journal.

Nanotechnology is crucial to US energy independence, says Baker Institute expert

Nanotechnology can deliver solutions to U.S. economic, energy and geopolitical challenges while also helping the world meet climate targets and sustainability goals, according to a new report from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

US must do its fair share for refugees, says Baker Institute expert

Increasing the number of refugees resettled to the U.S. is critical for the well-being of refugees across the globe, according to an expert from Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Baker Institute paper: US must mandate uniform reporting of data during deadly pandemics

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has received limited data on the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. despite providing detailed case report forms, according to a new research paper from Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Baker Institute and its Center for Energy Studies at top of global think tank rankings

Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy has risen to the No. 1 ranking among the best university-affiliated think tanks in the world, up from No. 2 the previous year, according to the 2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report published today. Its Center for Energy Studies maintained its standing as the top energy and resource policy think tank and was recognized as a Center of Excellence for being ranked No. 1 for three consecutive years.

$4M Huffington Foundation gift endows Baker Institute fellow in child health policy

Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy has received a $4 million gift from the Huffington Foundation to endow a fellow in child health policy and advance the research of the institute’s Child Health Policy Program.

Texas needs to take the lead on carbon capture, say Baker Institute experts

Texas, with advantages in everything from its geology to its workforce, should become a leader in carbon capture, according to a new report from Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.