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Welcome to COWS
Read COWS' news, research, and analysis relating to policy issues in Wisconsin. - read more -
COWS is a nonprofit think-and-do tank that promotes "high road" solutions to social problems. These treat shared growth and opportunity, environmental sustainability, and resilient democratic institutions as necessary and achievable complements in human development.
COWS' work is collaborative, experimental, and evidence-driven. Working with business, government, labor, and communities, we try out new ideas, test their effectiveness, and disseminate those with promise. We believe that the best way to predict the future is to start making it, particularly in our states and metro regions.
Some areas of program focus among COWS and its affiliated initiatives (noted in parentheses below) include:
- Job quality and workforce development
- Green jobs and career pathways
- Clean energy and energy efficiency (Efficiency Cities Network)
- Smart transportation (State Smart Transportation Initiative)
- Promoting high-road policies in states (Center for State Innovation) and cities (Mayors Innovation Project)
COWS is based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, famous for the Wisconsin Idea that the University should improve people's lives beyond the classroom. Since its founding 18 years ago, COWS has often been called the Wisconsin Idea in action.
COWS is nonpartisan but values-based. We seek a world of equal opportunity and security for all.
Keeping Up with COWS
Our e-newsletter, COWS Notes, is an easy way to keep informed about what's going on at COWS.
You can also follow our updates on Facebook and Twitter.
The State of Working Wisconsin
The State of Working Wisconsin tells a compelling story about the status of jobs and workers in Wisconsin. Visit The State of Working Wisconsin web page for more information. You can also follow the links below to download the 2010 report and executive summary, or the shorter 2011 update.
- The State of Working Wisconsin - Update 2011
- The State of Working Wisconsin 2010 - Full Report
- The State of Working Wisconsin 2010 - Executive Summary
Jobs at COWS
To learn about current employment opportunities, click here.
new at COWSThe COWS Program Review offers an overview of our recent work. - read more - Wisconsin's Missing 64,000 Jobs: The Walker Record So Far looks at why the state departed from national trends from Jan. 2011 to Mar. 2012. - read more - Wisconsin Job Watch, published monthly, provides a snapshot of the effects of the recession on Wisconsin jobs. - read more - Wisconsin's Gender Wage Gap, released in honor of National Pay Equity Day with the Wisconsin Women's Council, shows that Wisconsin women earn 77.8 cents for every dollar a man makes. - read more - Toward College Success for Working Adults provides a clearer picture of the educational trajectory of working adults in the Wisconsin Technical College System. - read more - Wisconsin Jobs and Low-Income Working Families, produced by COWS as part of the Working Poor Families Project, looks at the medicareadvantage , fancy dress in four working families in Wisconsin who are low income. - read more - Making M.U.S.H. Energy Efficient explores the potential for energy efficiency upgrades in the governmental and institutional sectors. - read more - ALEC Exposed: Business Domination Inc. Joel Rogers and Laura Dresser, in The Nation, investigate the actions of ALEC. - read more - Joel discusses the ALEC article here. featured newsBiz Beat: Scott Walker poised to rebut poor federal jobs numbers5/15/2012- Click here ... Scott Walker Magically Turns Dismal Wisconsin Job Numbers Into A Pre-Election Miracle5/15/2012- Click here to read the art... Despite criticism over Occupy Madison, Soglin says he has sound anti-poverty plan5/10/2012- |