Judy Ley Allen México Centered

In 2024, Mexico became the first country to elect all of its judges by direct popular vote, part of a landmark judicial reform enacted by the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) — the current ruling party — to address corruption and hold judges more accountable to the public.

Two years into its implementation, how has the reform reshaped Mexico’s justice system, which citizens had long perceived as ineffective? Nonresident scholar Javier Martín-Reyes joined the “México Centered” podcast to discuss the most consequential provisions of the reform and its implications for the country’s democracy.

This conversation was recorded on Sept. 16, 2026.

Featured:

Javier Martín-Reyes, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/javier-martin-reyes

This conversation was recorded on Sept. 16, 2026. 

More about Tony Payan, Ph.D.: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/tony-payan 

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.

Over recent decades, Mexico has increasingly run on natural gas — shifting its economic center of gravity from domestic oil to a fuel mostly imported from Texas. What are the implications for the federal government’s goal of energy sovereignty? What does it mean for renewable energy projects and Mexico’s ability to realize a lower-carbon future? And how are whole regions being reshaped through the evolution of Mexico’s energy sector?

Isidro Morales, an external fellow at the Claudio X. González Center for the U.S. and Mexico, and Adrian Duhalt, a nonresident fellow at Southern Methodist University, joined Tony Payan to explore these key themes of  their new co-edited volume, “New Geographies of Energy in Mexico” (Springer, 2026). They discussed Mexican energy sovereignty, Mexico’s reliance on Texas shale gas, and what is needed  to build energy resilience in a rapidly changing political and ecological landscapes.

This conversation was recorded on Aug. 24, 2026. 

Featured:

Adrian Duhalt, Ph.D., https://www.smu.edu/dedman/research/institutes-and-centers/texas-mexico/people/experts 

Isidro Morales, Ph.D., https://macmillan.yale.edu/latam/person/isidro-morales-moreno 

Mentioned:

“New Geographies of Energy in Mexico” (Springer, 2026)

More about Tony Payan, Ph.D.: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/tony-payan 

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.

On July 1, negotiators will begin the formal review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a trade pact affecting billions of dollars in commerce and tens of millions of workers across North America. What priorities will each country bring to the table, and how likely is a consensus to extend the agreement for another 16 years?

 

Ahead of the 2026 USMCA review, center experts David A. Gantz and Simon Lester joined the “Baker Briefing” podcast to discuss the negotiating landscape — one shaped by trade tensions, tariff policy, and evolving political dynamics across North America.

 

This conversation was recorded on June 22, 2026.

 

Listen and subscribe to “Baker Briefing” on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform.

 

You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Can the emerging Somos México movement unite Mexico’s political opposition?

Since coming to power in 2018, the Morena party has maintained broad popular support. But under its rule, Mexico’s democratic institutions have faced growing strain. Judicial and electoral reforms, the dismantling of regulatory and oversight agencies, and the militarization of public security have increasingly concentrated power within the executive branch, while the country continues to face high levels of political violence.

To date, Mexico’s opposition has struggled to effectively mobilize around these challenges. Enter Somos México, a new movement that aims to promote governance grounded in rights and the rule of law, according to one of its leaders, former Mexican Sen. Emilio Álvarez Icaza.

Álvarez Icaza joined host Tony Payan to discuss democratic backsliding under Morena, the coalition behind Somos México, and the challenges of establishing a viable political party ahead of the 2027 midterm elections.

Their conversation was recorded on May 15, 2026.

Featured:

Former Sen. Emilio Álvarez Icaza, Ph.D.: https://emilioalvarezicaza.com.

More about our host, Tony Payan, Ph.D.: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/tony-payan.

You can follow @Baker_CUSMX and @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

The U.S.-Mexico border has become one of the most economically dynamic corridors in the world. But rapid population growth and urbanization have brought significant social and environmental consequences for the region that are only exacerbated by extreme drought.

 

John Beckham, managing director of the North American Development Bank, joined center experts Tony Payan and Ivonne Cruz to discuss the bank’s work financing sustainable infrastructure projects along the border, the politics of water scarcity, and what binational cooperation looks like in an era of climate change and industrial expansion.

 

This conversation was recorded on March 18, 2026. 

 

Featured:

John Beckham, https://nadbank.org/about-us/nadbank-leadership/john-beckham 

Ivonne Cruz, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/ivonne-cruz

This conversation was recorded on March 18, 2026.

More about our host, Tony Payan, Ph.D.: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/tony-payan 

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.