New study maps how and why life is worse for African Americans in a dozen states, including Wisconsin.
COWS report highlights racial disparities in employment, education.
African Americans lag behind white Americans in employment and educational outcomes nationally, but University of Iowa Professor Colin Gordon’s Race in the Heartland report argues that the gap between white and black Midwesterners is among the worst in the country.
Furthermore, a related paper entitled “Wisconsin’s Extreme Racial Disparity” uses data from Gordon’s report to demonstrate that the state has the highest disparity between white and black residents in employment, bachelor’s degrees, and 8th grade math scores.
The state also ranks among the worst in the country for racial gaps in voter participation, home ownership, and incarceration.
Laura Dresser is the Associate Director of COWS, a nonprofit, nonpartisan “think-and-do tank” based at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, which partnered with the Iowa Policy Project, Policy Matters Ohio, and the Economic Policy Institute to produce the report. She says that segregationist policies hampered black communities’ ability to rebound from economic downturns.
‘Race in the Heartland,” written by Colin Gordon, is a joint project of Policy Matters Ohio, Iowa Policy Project, EARN and COWS, a nonprofit think-and-do tank, based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which promotes “high-road” solutions to social problems. The report provides critical regional, historical, and political context to help draw a more complete picture of the brutal racial inequality of the Midwest.
A new report from UW-Madison’s COWS claims the state’s tax policy is contributing to inequality, as the richest Wisconsinites pay a smaller share of their income in taxes than poorer residents.
University of Wisconsin-Madison's COWS released its annual “State of Working Wisconsin” this week, showing that since the passage in 2011 of Act 10 — the law that stripped public unions of bargaining rights — union membership has declined by 53.9%. That’s three times the decrease of 14.9% in neighboring Minnesota. The decrease nationally was 21.2%.
This Labor Day, there is good news and bad news for Wisconsin workers.
The good news is continued low unemployment and steady, modest job growth, according to the annual State of Working Wisconsin report from the economy and jobs policy think tank COWS, based at the University of Wisconsin.
Developed with the Wisconsin Idea in mind, UniverCity Year brings together faculty, students, and members of Wisconsin communities to address local challenges through university courses and research.
Pepin County and the UniverCity Year program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison invite community members to attend an information session and celebration on August 28 to learn more about the three-year partnership between UniverCity Year and Pepin County, which will seek to find practical solutions to economic development and environmental sustainability challenges in Pepin County.
Laura Dresser spoke as part of the Tax Reform Bus Tour at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
UniverCity Year partnered with the Green County Development Corporation to address a host of community challenges and projects. By matching UW faculty and students with areas of community need, the partnerships are producing tangible benefits and making a lasting difference throughout Green County.
Read about, and view photos of, all the honorees.
"We used to expect the middle class to grow. That was kind of a given. And we’ve had nearly 20 years where it hasn’t," said Laura Dresser.
Full article here.
In appreciation, the Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison recognizes individuals and programs that create lasting connections between UW–Madison and Wisconsin communities. The Community-University Partnership Awards celebrates those who create innovative approaches to education, health, the arts, community service, business, scientific inquiry and civic involvement. These partnerships represent prime examples of the Wisconsin Idea in practice across our community. The reception will include presentation of the LaMarr Billups Community Engagement Award.
A University of Wisconsin-Madison program that connects students and faculty with local governments to solve problems is going outside of the Madison area for the first time.
A recent study from a Wisconsin think tank suggests that state could increase energy-related jobs and keep money within the state’s borders if it moved away from fossil fuel usage. We turn to the researchers behind the report to consider this and to understand the possible effects on the environment and public health.
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
WPR's Central Time
Green Jobs Could Be Good For Wisconsin Workforce
COWS report here
4:30p
Moving away from fossil fuels could create thousands of jobs, improve public health, and increase overall economic activity by nearly $14 billion in Wisconsin, according to a new study by COWS.
The election win wasn’t just about Congress. Many of the openings for democratic reform will be in the states.
“We will have people in charge who are actually interested in the project of running government well. This feels enormous, especially for the environment and social services,” says Laura Dresser, associate director of COWS(the Center on Wisconsin Strategy), a research center based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Leadership that is committed to protecting water and resources, to enforcing the law and believing in science: This makes for a better Wisconsin, where state workers can actually do their jobs.”
As director of the UniverCity Alliance at UW-Madison, Gavin Luter tries to bridge the gap between academia and the “real world.”