Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy

Why do many critical minerals remain difficult to scale even as demand climbs? More than half of the minerals on the U.S. critical minerals list are recovered as byproducts of other mining operations, meaning their supply depends on someone else’s business case. In a new working paper, Ashley Zumwalt-Forbes examines how byproduct economics shape supply, investment incentives, and capital formation, and why financing structures and federal policy often fail to align with how these minerals are produced.

Read the full paper:

Byproduct Metals as a Constraint and Lever in Critical Minerals Finance | Baker Institute Why do many critical minerals remain difficult to scale? In a new working paper, Ashley Zumwalt-Forbes examines how byproduct mineral recovery creates financing and policy challenges that constrain critical minerals supply.

Is the AI boom masking the real effect of U.S. tariffs? In a new brief, John W. Diamond of the Center for Tax and Budget Policy examines how rising AI infrastructure investment is inflating U.S. import totals even as traditional manufacturing sectors weaken, complicating how policymakers interpret trade data and tariff impacts.

🔗 Learn more:

AI Investment Reshapes US Import Patterns | Baker Institute Is the AI boom hiding the real impact of U.S. tariffs? New research by the Center for Tax and Budget Policy’s John W. Diamond shows how AI infrastructure investment is inflating import totals even as traditional manufacturing sectors weaken.

On June 10, we will host a discussion featuring Aaron Miller and Daniel Kurtzer, two experts in U.S.-Middle East policy. At a time when U.S. policy in the Middle East remains one of the most consequential issues in global affairs, this event will explore the future role of American leadership in the region.

Moderated by Baker Institute Director David Satterfield, the conversation will also examine the challenges facing the United States across the Middle East, from Gaza and Lebanon to Iran, and consider where U.S. policy may be headed next.

Registration is now open. Visit our website to register: https://bit.ly/3QWaPqa

Why do family health insurance premiums vary by as much as $25,000 within the same industry? In a new report for the Center for Health Policy’s Health Economics Program, Vivian Ho, Marah Short, and Patrick Solcher examine the drivers of insurance costs across Texas universities and explore how plan design and transparency measures may improve healthcare affordability.

🔗 Read more:

Texas Universities Show Sharp Differences in Health Insurance Premiums | Baker Institute Why do family health insurance premiums vary by as much as $25k within the same industry? A new Baker Institute Health Economics Program report examines insurance cost disparities across Texas universities and explores how plan design and transparency may improve affordability.

Military coups across the Sahel have often been accompanied by visible civilian support, but those alliances rarely endure once juntas consolidate power.

In a new analysis for The Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS), postdoctoral research associate Dr. Salah Ben Hammou examines how civilian movements that initially back military interventions are frequently marginalized or repressed after coups succeed.

The piece introduces the concept of “post-coup buyer’s remorse,” highlighting how civilian supporters often expect political influence in exchange for legitimizing military rule, only to see those expectations erode as juntas tighten control.

Read his full analysis:

Civilian Support for Coups and Post-Coup Buyer’s Remorse in the Sahel - Project on Middle East Political Science Salah Ben Hammou, Ph.D., Rice University Jonathan Powell, Ph.D., Campbellsville University   Between 2020 and 2025, the world watched as military coups swept across the Sahel, with soldiers turning their guns against their own governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Nige...

In its first year, the second Trump administration has enacted substantial shifts in U.S. health policy, affecting insurance access, care costs, and guidance on nutrition and vaccines. A new brief from the Center for Health Policy examines how these changes, particularly federal budget cuts, are expected to reduce insurance coverage and increase costs.

🔗 Read more:

Health Policy in the First Year of Trump’s Second Administration | Baker Institute In its first year, the second Trump administration has enacted substantial shifts in U.S. health policy, affecting insurance access, care costs, and guidance on nutrition and vaccines. This brief from the Center for Health Policy examines how these changes, particularly federal budget cuts, are expe...

Why are military regimes in the Sahel becoming increasingly personalized? In a new piece for The Conversation, Salah Ben Hammou and Hiba Naciri examine how Mali’s junta leader, General Assimi Goïta, has consolidated power around the presidency following the killing of General SadioCamara, placing the country within a broader regional pattern also visible in Burkina Faso and Niger.

🔗 Read more:

Mali’s Military Leader Is Consolidating Power. Why This Is Dangerous | Baker Institute In a new piece for The Conversation, Salah Ben Hammou and Hiba Naciri examine how Mali’s military leadership has consolidated authority around General Assimi Goïta following renewed insecurity and the killing of General Sadio Camara, placing Mali within a broader regional trend toward increasingl...

How resilient is the global plastics system to geopolitical disruption?

Rachel A. Meidl’s new commentary examines how the current Middle East conflict is stress-testing petrochemical and plastics supply chains, revealing vulnerabilities in the global petrochemical system tied to concentrated production hubs, just-in-time logistics, and chokepoint trade routes such as the Strait of Hormuz. The analysis explores how a circular carbon economy framework may strengthen resilience through diversified carbon pathways, distributed infrastructure, and greater material flexibility.

🔗 Read more:

Geopolitical Conflict Highlights Circular Carbon Pathways in Plastics | Baker Institute How resilient is the global plastics system to geopolitical disruption? Rachel A. Meidl examines how the Iran war is exposing vulnerabilities in petrochemical supply chains and how circular carbon pathways may strengthen resilience through diversification and flexibility.

On April 20, 2026, the Trump administration invoked five Defense Production Act orders aimed at expanding U.S. energy infrastructure and supply. In a new brief, Gabe Arrington examines how the orders frame energy infrastructure as a national security priority, as well as the uncertainties surrounding their broad scope and implementation.

🔗 Read more:

The Defense Production Act’s Expanding Role in Energy | Baker Institute On April 20, 2026, the Trump administration invoked five Defense Production Act (DPA) orders aimed at expanding U.S. energy infrastructure and supply. In this brief, Gabe Arrington examines how the orders frame energy infrastructure as a national security priority, as well as the uncertainties surro...

Protracted displacement is particularly acute in the MENA region, driven by complex political, security, and climate dynamics. This series assesses innovative approaches and state strategies for addressing protracted displacement — from refugee-led responses in Lebanon to climate-focused diplomacy in Egypt and Jordan, and alternative pathways in the United Arab Emirates — offering lessons on governance, inclusion, and durable solutions.

🔗 Read the full series:

Protracted Displacement in the Middle East and North Africa | Baker Institute This series examines innovative approaches and state strategies for addressing long-term displacement — from refugee-led responses in Lebanon to climate-focused diplomacy in Egypt and Jordan, and alternative pathways in the United Arab Emirates — offering lessons on governance, inclusion, and du...