May 2024: Pursuing Prosperity and Peace in the Levant White Paper Series: Leveraging Economic Interdependence for Offshore Energy Developments
By Jose Morales-Arilla
Why is the certification of potential energy reserves in the Levant Basin Province (LBP) lagging so far behind that of its oil- and natural-gas-rich neighbors? The answer lies in the geopolitically fragmented nature of the LBP. Unlike the LBP, Egypt’s Eastern Mediterranean resources fall neatly within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The political fragmentation of a resource basin that cuts across often-disputed maritime borders, however, constitutes a major constraint on its development.
February 2024: Pursuing Prosperity and Peace in the Levant White Paper Series: An Overview
By Raymond Robertson & Kaleb Abreha
Renewed conflict in the Middle East on October 7, 2023 drew the world’s attention to long-standing tensions in the group of countries collectively known as The Levant. Although it is naïve to suggest that economic cooperation efforts alone are sufficient solutions to political crisis, they can be a key building block for peace. Drawing upon academic literature that finds that economic integration is associated with a lower probability of conflict, this White Paper series explores specific areas that Levant countries can leverage to promote economic integration. This paper provides the academic roots and motivation for a series of sector-specific White Papers that explain in detail how to support economic integration within the Levant and offer some initial insight into the apparel and textile industry as an example.
Read the white paper, Pursuing Prosperity and Peace in the Levant White Paper Series: An Overview
May 2023: Beyond the Battle for Supremacy: Reshaping the Global Semiconductor Supply Chain
By Hyung-gon Jeong & Raymond Robertson
Under the Biden administration, U.S.-China hegemonic competition has intensified and extended to high-tech fields, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), 5G, and autonomous vehicles. These technologies depend on the semiconductor industry, the foundation for the development of advanced products like big data, robots, aerospace, and super quantum computing. The multipurpose use of these semiconductor-based industrial technologies has far-reaching implications for both economic competition and national security because drones, robots, mobile communication, and aerospace technology have ubiquitous military applications. This paper uses competitive and network analyses of the global semiconductor supply chain to assess the role and status of each of the major countries in the supply chain. The results are used to evaluate how U.S. sanctions will affect Chinese, U.S., and global semiconductor industries and to recommend U.S. policy measures.
Fall 2022: Improving Labor Compliance in Developing Countries
By Raymond Robertson
Improving labor conditions around the world is a complex, lengthy, and multi-stakeholder aspiration. The goal of this paper is to complement a broad overview of existing research with new empirical results that evaluate the contributions of different stakeholders in improving labor compliance. The results suggest that the rule of law and exporting-country government capacity may be the most significant factor in improvements in labor compliance. Other stakeholders also play important roles, of course, but domestic capacity is significantly associated with closing the gap between labor law and labor practice. These results raise a critical question of how developed (importing) countries can better incentivize exporting-country governments to close the gap between labor law and labor practice, not just for exporting firms, but throughout the country. One of the main policy implications is that a renewed focus on trade agreements between developed and developing countries would be one of the most effective ways to improve labor conditions in developing countries.
Read the white paper, Improving Labor Compliance in Developing Countries.
Fall 2022: Working Women in Pakistan during COVID-19
By Raymond Robertson
The COVID-19 (C19) pandemic took a tremendous toll on countries around the world. As numerous studies suggest, women bore a larger burden during the C19 crisis than they usually do during economic recessions. Pakistan was no exception. To understand the impact of C19 in Pakistan, Texas A&M University, S&P Global, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-Pakistan Business Council designed a survey of women entrepreneurs and women in the workforce in Pakistan. The results show that women in the formal economy of Pakistan shouldered a significant burden during the C19 crisis, exacerbating existing challenges faced by women in the formal economy pre-pandemic.
Spring 2022: Infrastructure Consequences of Exurb Growth in Texas
By Rebekah Barfield
The housing phenomenon known as “exurbia” is accelerating, and with this growth comes new challenges for state and local governments. Exurbs are low-density neighborhoods in rural areas within commuting distance of major cities. These exurbs appeal to home buyers for several reasons: the areas are less crowded, offer better-rated schools, and boast more property and larger houses for lower prices than can be found in the suburbs or inner cities. As Texas’ exurb communities continue to grow at a rapid pace, it is important to understand the infrastructure consequences of such fast growth in rural areas, so policymakers can anticipate and respond to new challenges that may arise (or have already arisen).
Read the white paper, Infrastructure Consequences of Exurb Growth in Texas
In the news on this research:
- Commuting from Dallas’ growing exurbs is getting more dangerous, The Dallas Morning News
Fall 2021: Close Knit: Migration and Apparel Production in Central America
By Raymond Robertson
Migration from Central America rose significantly in 2019 and 2021, prompting a call to find solutions that address the “root causes” of Central American migration. This report highlights certain policy levers that would enhance apparel-supply-chain-related investment in Central America, including specific changes in trade policy, human resources, and infrastructure that would help address the root causes of migration in Central America.
Read the white paper, Close Knit: Migration and Apparel Production in Central America
In the news on this research:
- Apparel News cites Raymond Robertson’s white paper, California Apparel News
- One year later, root causes of migration still need to be addressed, The Hill
- The key to slowing Central American migration is jobs, The Dallas Morning News
- Harris’ Central American jobs push stirs huge clothes fight, Politico Pro
