About COWS

The Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) promotes research, policy analysis, and field experiments and demonstration projects in "high road" (high wage/productivity/profits, low waste, democratically accountable) economic growth and government. Based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, COWS is an example of the Wisconsin Idea in action - the idea that the University should serve the broader public good and go beyond its boundaries in doing so. In Wisconsin and beyond, COWS works with business, labor, civil society, and government to further the goals of shared sustainable prosperity and effective and efficient democratic government.

As part of our mission, COWS conducts research on economic and workforce development, job quality, budget and tax policy, and state and local policy innovation. We also support projects in major metropolitan areas that are helping to build strong local and regional economies and create quality jobs. We actively seek to educate the public about important economic and democracy issues, and we collaborate with like-minded groups in Wisconsin and nationwide.

COWS current and past funders include: the Annie E Casey Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Garfield Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the Open Society Institute, the Surdna Foundation, the Wallace Global Fund and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

To learn more about COWS and its work, read an overview: "COWS: The Wisconsin Idea in Action" (PDF).
 
COWS publishes a free electronic newsletter, COWS Notes. Read COWS Notes. Subscribe. 

COWS is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, educational, and charitable organization. Download a copy of our tax-exempt status letters.