Baker Institute

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Channel • 5 Shows

Politics

Politics

Updated weekly
Politics

Politics

Updated weekly
Politics

Politics

Every two months
Business News

Business News

Twice monthly
Politics

Politics

Series

19/09/2025

8: The Federal Budget Process Is Broken

John Diamond explains why a weakening labor market is pushing the Federal Reserve to cut the federal funds rate (even in the face of sticky inflation). He also unpacks the looming government shutdown — and why, unless Washington reforms its budget process, we should expect bigger deficits and higher inflation risk. This conversation was recorded on Sept. 16, 2025. Clips used in this episode: “Revised job numbers raise new concerns about economic slowdown,” PBS News, Sept. 9, 2025. Follow John Diamond on X (@jw_diamond) and LinkedIn. You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

19/09/2025

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16 min
14/04/2025

84: An Uncertain Future for Humanitarian Aid

The Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and aid budget cuts in the U.K., France, and other Western countries present a stark turning point for the international humanitarian aid system. Sonali Korde, the Baker Institute’s MD Anderson Visiting Fellow and the former assistant to the administrator of the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance at USAID, joined Ambassador David M. Satterfield to explore the far-reaching implications of these shifts, as well as the past role of foreign aid in promoting U.S. interests — and the challenge of justifying such aid domestically. This conversation was recorded in front of a live studio audience on April 8, 2025. Follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

14/04/2025

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33 min
16/06/2025

93: Claudia Sheinbaum’s Balancing Act (Part 2)

This is the second episode in a two-part conversation on the challenges facing Mexico domestically and in its relationship with the United States. Tony Payan, director of the Center for the U.S. and Mexico, joins “Baker Briefing” to examine the host of issues facing the U.S.-Mexico relationship under Presidents Donald Trump and Claudia Sheinbaum. His conversation with David Satterfield covers tariffs and the future of the North American trade agreement, Trump’s executive order designating cartels as terrorists — which has led to U.S. visa restrictions for some Mexican politicians — and the brewing water crisis facing Sheinbaum as drought at the border persists. Featured: Tony Payan, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/tony-payan Follow Tony on X: https://x.com/PayanTony Follow Tony on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-payan-373bb870/ This conversation was recorded on May 14, 2025. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://bit.ly/3ZVKOIX You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

16/06/2025

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24 min
23/04/2025 · Bonus

Introducing Our New Show: ‘The Two-Handed Economist’

Introducing “The Two-Handed Economist” — a new podcast with timely analysis of economic policy developments from John Diamond, director of the Center for Tax and Budget Policy. Why a two-handed economist? President Harry Truman famously asked for a one-handed economist, tired of hearing, “On the one hand, this,” and “On the other hand, that.” On “The Two-Handed Economist,” we embrace the complexity that a one-handed economist might shy away from. Our first episode dives deep into the economic fallout from the Trump administration’s sweeping new tariffs, unpacking the market turmoil, impacts for consumers, and global response. A transcript is available here. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast platform. Mentioned: “Innovation and Trade Policy in a Globalized World” by Ufuk Akcigit (University of Chicago, NBER, CEPR), Sina T. Ates (Federal Reserve Board), and Giammario Impullitti (University of Nottingham), 2021. This episode was recorded on April 15, 2025. You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

23/04/2025 · Bonus

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26 min
29/07/2025

98: Is Trump Delivering for Christian Voters?

One of the striking trends in American religion and politics over the past decade has been the extent to which Christians have rallied around President Donald Trump. Their support has been most pronounced among white evangelicals, but the president has gained electoral ground with nearly all Christian denominations since his first term. Trump hasn’t just appealed to Christian voters through rhetoric. He’s also courted them through policy. Recent examples include a new task force to “eradicate anti-Christian bias” in the federal government and a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the vast budget package signed into law earlier this month, that strips Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. (The Hyde Amendment already prohibits federal funds from being used to cover abortions in nearly all cases.) Seven months into Trump’s second term, how do his policies measure up for his Christian base? Michael Emerson, director of the Baker Institute Religion and Public Program, joined the podcast to help unpack how Christian support affects Trump’s policy agenda — and vice versa. Mentioned in this episode: The Godless Crusade: Religion, Populism, and Right-Wing Identity Politics in the West by Tobias Cremer “My beautiful ‘practicing’ Christians: As churchgoers’ numbers shrink, their social views grow more similar” by Michael Emerson This conversation was recorded on July 24, 2025. Access a transcript of this episode. You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

29/07/2025

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27 min
22/05/2025

86: Binational Dialogues: José Antonio Meade

On April 24, 2025, we hosted the inaugural webinar of our “Binational Dialogues” series, titled “Mexico’s Economy Today” and featuring José Antonio Meade Kuribreña. Meade offered an in-depth analysis of the current state of Mexico’s economy, followed by a thoughtful conversation with Tony Payan, director of the Center for the U.S. and Mexico. Meade is a Mexican politician, economist, lawyer, diplomat, and former presidential candidate. Between 2011 and 2017, he held several high-level Cabinet positions, including secretary of foreign affairs, secretary of social development, secretary of energy, and twice secretary of finance and public credit. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University, an economics degree from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), and a law degree from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Featured guests: José Antonio Meade Kuribreña, Ph.D., https://www.weforum.org/people/jose-antonio-meade-kuribrena/ More about Tony Payan, Ph.D.: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/tony-payan Follow Tony Payan on X (@PayanTony) and LinkedIn. You can follow @BakerInstitute and @BakerInstMexico on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

22/05/2025

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36 min
06/10/2025

4: Politics and Propaganda in the Digital Media Age

China Studies Program experts Steven Lewis and Brandon Zheng join guest host Michael Emerson to explore how governments and organizations around the world are leveraging digital platforms in increasingly savvy ways — from TikTok videos to anime mascots — to spread political messaging and shape public opinion. They draw on their recent research examining urban propaganda in China and the use of “cuteness” as a communication tool to illustrate how the global political landscape has transformed in the age of digital media. This conversation was recorded on Sept. 26, 2025. Featured: Steven Lewis, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/steven-w-lewis Brandon Zheng, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/steven-w-lewis Michael Emerson, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/michael-o-emerson Mentioned in this episode: Brandon Zheng, “The Conquest of Cute: Political Communication, Public Diplomacy, and Anime,” Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, September 4, 2025. Brandon Zheng and Steven W. Lewis, “Central Versus Local Propaganda Under Xi Jinping: An Introduction to Images in the China Urban Outdoor Propaganda Image Archive, 1998 to 2019,” Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, June 3, 2025. Thomas Frank, The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism (The University of Chicago Press, 1997). You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

06/10/2025

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25 min
04/12/2025

8: What Happens If the ACA Subsidies Expire?

Without a last-minute extension of enhanced tax credits, Americans who purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act will see their premiums spike in January. How did we get here, and why are health care access and affordability such persistent policy challenges? Dr. Heidi Russell and Elena M. Marks joined the “Baker Briefing” podcast to discuss what happens when the ACA subsidy enhancements expire and offer insights for moving the U.S. health system forward. Featured guests: Elena Marks, MPH, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/elena-m-marks Heidi Russell, MD, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/heidi-russell This conversation was recorded on Nov. 20, 2025. You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

04/12/2025

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36 min
16/09/2024

From ‘Baker Briefing’: Claudia Sheinbaum and AMLO’s Looming Shadow (Guest: Tony Payan)

Late last month, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced a “pause” in relations with the U.S. embassy. These latest tensions between the two countries came after U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar criticized López Obrador’s proposed judicial reforms, which include electing judges by popular vote. Salazar called this measure “a major risk to the functioning of Mexico’s democracy.” When Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, López Obrador’s protégé, takes office on Oct. 1, she will inherit the strained relationship with the U.S. and a host of other challenges facing Mexico. Tony Payan, director of the Baker Institute Center for the U.S. and Mexico, joined Baker Briefing to discuss the issues setting the backdrop for the new Sheinbaum administration and how she may — or may not — diverge from López Obrador’s playbook. For more information on the Baker Institute Center for the United States and Mexico visit our website, and follow us on X/Twitter and LinkedIn. To join our mailing list, please subscribe here and make sure to opt-in to "U.S.-Mexico Update."

16/09/2024

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31 min
04/11/2024

79: AI and the Binantional Relation (Guests: Chris Bronk and Alejandro Dabdoub)

The Center for the United States and Mexico at Rice University’s Baker Institute stays abreast of the many issues affecting the binational relationship–including some issues that are not as intuitive and are often not in the media. One of these is artificial intelligence. To explore what AI can do to the U.S.-Mexico relationship - in academia, security, cybersecurity, and labor - we sat down with Chris Bronk, a nonresident fellow at the Baker Institute and an associate professor at the University of Houston, where he directs the graduate cybersecurity program; and Alejandro Dabdoub, Mexican investor, businessman and writer. For more information on the Baker Institute Center for the United States and Mexico visit our website, and follow us on X/Twitter and LinkedIn. To join our mailing list, please subscribe here and make sure to opt-in to "U.S.-Mexico Update."

04/11/2024

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25 min

High-quality discussions with policy experts on the most critical issues facing the U.S., Texas, and the world. Brought to you by Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy in Houston, Texas.

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Baker Institute

Top Shows

8: The Federal Budget Process Is Broken

84: An Uncertain Future for Humanitarian Aid

93: Claudia Sheinbaum’s Balancing Act (Part 2)

Introducing Our New Show: ‘The Two-Handed Economist’

98: Is Trump Delivering for Christian Voters?

86: Binational Dialogues: José Antonio Meade

4: Politics and Propaganda in the Digital Media Age

8: What Happens If the ACA Subsidies Expire?

From ‘Baker Briefing’: Claudia Sheinbaum and AMLO’s Looming Shadow (Guest: Tony Payan)

79: AI and the Binantional Relation (Guests: Chris Bronk and Alejandro Dabdoub)

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