ABOUT US
The Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy was founded in October 2009 upon the request of President George H.W. Bush to honor Robert A. Mosbacher Sr., who served as secretary of commerce from 1989 to 1992. The Mosbacher Institute’s Global Value Chains Program applies policy, economics, logistics, and supply chain management approaches to emerging issues of today’s global value chains. The Borders and Migration Program conducts outreach activities and supports multidisciplinary research related to understanding the global and local impacts of cross-border migration and trade. The Institute also publishes policy briefs (The Takeaway) and longer reports (White Papers), conducts original and sponsored research, and supports students through graduate education, programming, and internships.
UPCOMING EVENTS
FOCUS AREAS
The Mosbacher Institute is committed to identifying policies and practices that promote global market integration. Global market integration involves increased economic interdependence among nations and regions arising from reduced trade barriers and improved coordination of fiscal and monetary policies. It has been shown to foster economic growth, raise living standards, and promote world peace. Through our Global Value Chains (GVC) Program we conduct and facilitate interdisciplinary education and research on the emerging issues that GVCs are facing. In our interconnected world, policymakers need to know how to harness the powerful tools of trade to improve living standards here in the United States and in emerging economies.
Faculty Coordinator:
Raymond Robertson
The increasing movement of people, goods, and ideas across geographical borders has put border states under significant pressure to adapt to changing realities. Our interdisciplinary Borders & Migration Program is a research consortium that conducts and shares research on both local and global impacts of international migration and cultural and economic exchange. Through a series of evidence-driven capacity-building efforts, policy outreach activities, high-impact learning opportunities, and scholarly engagement and exchange, the Mosbacher Institute seeks to shape a constructive public debate and to increase the effectiveness of policy choices.
Faculty Coordinator:
Aileen Teague
The Mosbacher Institute takes a fact-based, economic approach to comparing the world’s energy options, evaluating the true costs of energy, encouraging the coordination of global policy responses to energy security, and promoting smarter energy policy. Sound energy policy that balances cheap, clean, and secure energy, while relying extensively on markets, is an essential foundation for economic growth.
Faculty Coordinator:
Eric Lewis
The Mosbacher Institute aims to identify good governance practices and policies in our domestic economy, and to propose solutions to correct failures and inefficiencies in the provision of public services. Good governance increases the efficiency of the public sector and lowers the costs of doing business for the private sector, thereby increasing America’s competitiveness in the global marketplace. The Institute focuses on governance in such key public policy areas as education, health, environment, and emergency management.
Faculty Coordinator:
Lori L. Taylor
MOSBACHER INSTITUTE RESEARCH
April 2025: The Electoral Costs of Nativist Policy
By Benjamin Helms
Anti-immigrant politics are on the rise globally. Politicians embrace nativist rhetoric because it is an effective electoral strategy. Once in office, many politicians follow through on their promises, passing restrictive laws that heighten immigration enforcement or exclude immigrants from social services. While nativist politics may be a winner on the campaign trail, they are a loser in office. Though appealing to some voters, anti-immigrant policies harm the economic record of incumbents by disrupting beneficial linkages migrants create with the global economy. This harms the reelection chances of incumbents. Embracing such policies amounts to “shooting yourself in the foot.”
