Like other urban districts around the country, Houston Independent School District (HISD) has seen enrollment drop significantly over the past decade. But while the district’s schools are under capacity overall, with an average campus utilization rate of 77%, some of its campuses are meanwhile facing a paradoxical challenge: overcrowding.

Bill King, co-author of a recent Center for Tax and Budget Policy report on disparities in HISD campus utilization, and Erin Baumgartner, director of the Houston Education Research Consortium at Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Policy, joined the “Baker Briefing” podcast to explore what’s causing the imbalance, how the state’s proposed school voucher legislation could factor in, and paths forward for HISD.

This conversation was recorded on March 18, 2025. Read the report from King and co-authors Joyce Beebe and John Diamond:

https://www.bakerinstitute.org/research/disparities-houston-school-campus-utilization

The climate crisis is driving more and more people around the world to leave their homes and communities, often permanently. This isn’t an issue for the distant future: 26.4 million displacements related to natural disasters and slow-onset events like drought and sea-level rise were recorded around the world in 2023 alone.

Julia Blocher, a project lead at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and a visiting scholar at the Baker Institute this spring, joined the “Baker Briefing” podcast to discuss the phenomenon of climate migration around the world and in the United States. Together, Blocher and David M. Satterfield explore the relationship between climate change and migration, the disproportionate impacts for disadvantaged people and marginalized groups, and why it’s important to understand migration as a possible adaptation to the climate crisis.

This conversation was recorded on Feb. 18, 2025.

School voucher programs — also known as education savings accounts or school choice — allow families to use public funds to pay for private school tuition. They have swept across the U.S. over the past decade, and now the Texas Legislature looks poised to enact a school voucher program of its own. 

In this episode of “Baker Briefing,” Ed Emmett sits down with Christopher Kulesza, a scholar in child health policy at the Baker Institute, to break down what a Texas school voucher program might look like and what it could mean for schools and families across the state.

For more, read Kulesza’s recent brief: “How to Design a Fiscally Responsible School Choice Program in Texas.”

Can art be a tool for diplomacy? How can cultural exchange shape foreign policy?

In this episode of “Baker Briefing,” William Luers joins David M. Satterfield to discuss the intersections of art, diplomacy, and international relations. Drawing from his time as a U.S. diplomat in Europe and Latin America and as president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Luers explores how cultural engagement has advanced important dialogue — from the Cold War to contemporary geopolitical challenges.

This conversation was recorded in front of a studio audience on Feb. 13, 2025, at an event co-sponsored by Rice University’s Moody Center for the Arts.

Houston’s Third Ward is one of the city’s most historic Black neighborhoods. It’s also the site of longstanding and consequential debates about gentrification and redevelopment. Urban revitalization is meant to spur economic growth and benefit inner-city communities like the Third Ward — but do the changes actually benefit existing small business owners?

Economist Alisha Small joined David Satterfield to discuss her research into the impact of urban revitalization efforts on small businesses in Houston’s Third Ward.

For more, read Small’s recent working paper: “The Economic Interdependence of the Developed and the Developing: Two Decades of Urban Revitalization and Its Economic Impact on Third Ward Small Businesses.”

This conversation was recorded on Jan. 30, 2025.

Donald Trump entered office promising to be the “America First” president. But what does that mean for U.S. foreign policy? And what challenges and opportunities will Trump and Marco Rubio, his secretary of state, face regarding the Middle East, Ukraine, and the nation’s global alliances?

In this episode of “Baker Briefing,” David Satterfield sits down with Elliott Abrams, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a veteran foreign policy advisor. Together, they break down the administration’s approach to key geopolitical issues, from Gaza to NATO commitments.

This conversation was recorded on Jan. 22, 2025.

Since entering office for the second time, President Donald Trump has made clear his intention to impose tariffs on goods imported from Canada, Mexico, and China. What do his tariff plans mean for American industries and consumers — and for our relationships with our largest trading partners?

Baker Institute experts John W. Diamond, Ken Medlock, Tony Payan, and Steven W. Lewis joined the “Baker Briefing” podcast to discuss.

This conversation was recorded in front of a studio audience on Feb. 6, 2025.

The 89th Texas legislative session began on Jan. 14 with Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) elected House speaker following a month-long battle among state Republicans. Why was the election so contentious, and how might Burrows’ speakership shape the rest of the session? Political science fellow Mark P. Jones joined Ed Emmett, a Baker Institute colleague and four-term former Texas House member, to discuss the stakes and policy agenda ahead for lawmakers, including school vouchers, property taxes, and the border.

Joe Biden entered office with plans to prioritize American workers in foreign policy and strengthen U.S. alliances against the threats posed by China and Russia. His administration would ultimately face significant crises abroad, from Ukraine to Gaza, that tested his vision for American diplomacy and brought new challenges and opportunities to the fore.

On Dec. 17, 2024, Kurt Campbell, the deputy secretary of state, and Jon Finer, principal deputy national security advisor, joined David Satterfield for a conversation on the president’s legacy as he prepares to exit office and as Donald Trump gears up for a second term. Video of the event is available on our YouTube channel.

Since Texas prohibited most abortions in 2022 following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, numerous media reports have illustrated the dire impacts of reproductive health care restrictions on Texan patients, including people with nonviable and life-threatening pregnancies.

On Oct. 10, 2024, the Baker Institute hosted three health care professionals and the executive editor of Texas Monthly, Mimi Swartz, to discuss the impact of Texas law on the state’s OB-GYN workforce and the future of Texas reproductive health. This episode of “Baker Briefing” presents an unabridged version of their conversation.

Discussants

Alex Morin     Managing Director, Manatt Health

Damla Karsan, MD, FACOG   Obstetrician-Gynecologist, Comprehensive Women’s Healthcare, UWH of Texas

Todd Ivey, MD, FACOG   Obstetrician-Gynecologist, Associate Professor, Government Affairs Committee, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Mimi Swartz     Executive Editor, Texas Monthly