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Mackey, M., S. Peterson, and J. Topp. Vital Signs: Measuring the Vitality of the South Wood County Area. COWS, 2012.
COWS developed Vital Signs, a regional economic review for the Incourage Community Foundation. This economic analysis summarizes the most recent data to help focus discussions and decision-making on economic opportunity in the South Wood County Area. From schools to employers, wages to social supports, and employment to homelessness, COWS offers data that builds a picture of where South Wood County is, and where it needs to improve.
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,. Wisconsin’s Missing 64,000 Jobs: The Walker Record So Far. COWS, 2012.
This report details the discrepancy between Wisconsin’s current job numbers and those Wisconsin would have achieved had it mirrored national trends.
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This fact sheet from COWS and the Wisconsin Women’s Council, released in honor of National Pay Equity Day, shows that despite the growing importance of women’s contribution to the labor force and to household incomes, the gender wage gap stubbornly persists irrespective of age, race, or level of education. In 2010, Wisconsin women earned, on average, only 77.8 cents for every dollar earned by men.
The Wisconsin gap, while significant, is slightly smaller than in 2009 when women earned just 75 cents for each dollar earned by men. Nationally, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research has reported that the decline in the wage gap is mostly due to falling wages for men.
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Chung, J., M. Cociña, and L. Dresser. Toward College Success for Working Adults: The Pipeline to Credentials in the Wisconsin Technical College System. 2012.
Toward College Success for Working Adults provides a clearer picture of the educational trajectory of low-skill adults in the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS). The analysis presents statewide results from a pipeline data study on transition rates, enrollment, and diploma and degree completion for adults accessing a wide variety of basic skills and postsecondary courses and programs at WTCS. This knowledge can help colleges design programs and services that turn more workers into successful college graduates.
Documents include Full Report and Executive Summary.
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, S. S. Building Public Support to Fund Preservation Work. SSTI and Iowa DOT, 2012.
The Iowa Department of Transportation asked SSTI for assistance building public support for a gas tax increase to fund critical repair and maintenance work. SSTI contracted with Spitfire Strategies, a strategic communications firm that works exclusively with nonprofits and foundations, to help Iowa craft effective messaging that would resonate with policymakers and key stakeholders.
Based on SSTI and Spitfire’s work in Iowa and recent polling, this paper outlines how transportation professionals can gain support for a “fix-it-first” approach to transportation policy. It highlights messages and tactics that have effectively garnered voter and policymaker support and presents lessons learned from the Iowa Department of Transportation.
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DocumentDresser, L., and J. Rogers. “Wisconsin One Year Later: What Happened, What Is Happening, and What It Means for Progressives”. Social Policy , Vol. 1, 2012, pp. 4-11.
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DocumentRogers, J. “Productive Democracy”. Renewing Democratic Deliberation in Europe, The Challenge of Social and Civil Dialogue, Peter Lang, 2012, pp. 71-92.
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Biehler, A., S. Burrington, M. D. Meyer, D. Foy, A. Glynn, E. Partridge, and E. Sundquist. Review of Washington State DOT’s Sustainability Efforts.This review was performed at the request of Washington State DOT (WSDOT) to assess its sustainability efforts. SSTI convened a panel of experts that included people who have led transformative initiatives as heads of state DOTs. The panel combined practical and academic thinking. The expert panel reviewed background materials on WSDOT’s efforts and then interviewed stakeholders with varying perspectives on WSDOT’s work, including WSDOT staff; personnel from other state, federal, and local entities; and representatives from the not-for-profit sector. Intended as a peer review rather than an audit, the expert panel members brought their knowledge of transportation policy and trends to bear in assessing where WSDOT has succeeded and how its sustainability efforts could be strengthened.
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Irwin, J., S. L. White, S. Rhodes-Conway, and J. Rogers. Making M.U.S.H. Energy Efficient. COWS, 2011.
Retrofitting the nation’s public and institutional buildings for greater energy efficiency, financing these retrofits from the savings achieved, and requiring local-hire and job and advancement standards for those who do the work can provide the widespread high-road job creation needed in today’s economy. Publicly controlled buildings are an obvious place to focus for a number of reasons. This report discusses the financial structures that can be used, the barriers to doing this work, and the policies needed to overcome these barriers and create high-road jobs. The report is part of the Big Ideas for Job Creation in a Jobless Recovery project funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and organized by the UC-Berkeley Institute for Research on Labor and Unemployment.
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,. Key Middle-Skill Opportunities in Wisconsin. COWS, 2011.
Developed by COWS for Regional Industry Skills Education (RISE), Key Middle-Skill Opportunities in Wisconsin provides a detailed look at projected job opportunities and wages in well-paying occupations that typically do not require a four-year college degree.
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