Southwest Economy Archive

• April 1, 2022
  New Mexico marijuana legalization’s costs, benefits remain unclear

  Keighton Hines and Pia Orrenius

  New Mexico legalized recreational marijuana use last year, joining 17 other states. Anticipated benefits and costs partially offset one another, but there is considerable uncertainty around both.
• April 1, 2022
  Texas reclaims jobs lost in pandemic; some metros still trying to catch up

  Juliette Coia and Pia Orrenius

  The recovery from the pandemic recession ushered in a massive reallocation of employment between industries with repercussions for different areas of the state.
• December 17, 2021
  Pandemic, remote learning undo STAAR test gains; Texas student scores slide

  Design: Justin Chavira, Olumide Eseyin; Content: Christopher Slijk, James Lee

  Hispanic and Black students’ scores on the 2021 exam fell more than those of white students and reversed previous years' gains.
• December 15, 2021
  Largest Texas metros lure big-city, coastal migrants during pandemic

  Wenli Li and Yichen Su

  High-frequency data show that migration to Texas has accelerated during the pandemic. The emergence of working from home has lessened both workers’ and some companies’ reliance on physical offices, clearing the way for the new wave of mobility.
• December 15, 2021
  Texas joblessness persists above U.S. rate, weighing on black, Hispanic workers

  Anil Kumar

  While the gender unemployment gap has largely dissipated in Texas, the gaps between white workers and both Black and Hispanic workers have persisted above pre-COVID-19 levels.
• December 15, 2021
  Semiconductors key to global growth; geographic supply risks loom
  Tyson Tuttle, CEO of Silicon Labs in Austin, shares his insights on current issues in the semiconductor industry and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
• December 15, 2021
  Natural gas demand recovers, lifts prices

  Jesse Thompson

  Global demand for U.S. natural gas has risen as many pandemic-induced limits on economic activity have been lifted, but domestic production has only slowly recovered.
• September 30, 2021
  Once-oil-dependent Texas economy to keep growing as renewable energy expands

  Christopher Slijk and Keith R. Phillips

  The negative environmental impacts of global warming have motivated the beginnings of a global transition from traditional fossil fuels to renewable energy.
• September 30, 2021
  Federal support keeps state budgets (including Texas’) healthy amid tumult from COVID-19-induced economic ills

  Jason Saving

  An unprecedented federal fiscal response to the COVID-19-induced recession in early 2020 helped prop up state government finances even among states whose tax and finance structures put them at particular risk during a downturn.
• September 30, 2021
  President’s perspective
  President Kaplan shares recent thoughts on excesses and imbalances, asset purchases and the federal funds rate, and supply/demand imbalances.