All Publications

Many economic indicators—from poverty to incarceration—show dismal outcomes for Wisconsin’s African Americans.  The vitality of our economy, the prosperity of our state, and the health and well-being of all our communities are seriously threatened by the racial disparity that plagues Wisconsin.

This COWS Spotlight Issue provides background data and indicators showing pervasive black/white inequality in the state.

Laura Dresser uses data (From Bad to Good Jobs? An Analysis of the Prospects for Career Ladders in the Service Industries) to explore issues about building career ladders. The paper provides some data to help direct and focus career ladder development, and includes discussion of the need for both supply and demand side strategies when improving jobs.

COWS highlights the importance of workers’ basic skills to Wisconsin’s economic health, and suggests ways for improving basic skills education in the state.

COWS releases The State of Working Wisconsin every two years, in conjunction with the release of The State of Working America by the Economic Policy Institute.

2006 marks the 10th year of the publication and the expansion of the report to include ‘COWS Issue Spotlights’ highlighting key Wisconsin topics such as health care and pension benefits, the trap of low wage jobs, and Wisconsin’s energy use. In addition, the report features ‘Fast Facts,’ making it easier for readers to quickly access key state statistics.

Documents include both Full Report and Executive Summary.

COWS’ report profiles key economic and demographic trends in the vital SWSC (Southwest & South Central) corner of Wisconsin. It provides the background data needed to better understand the dynamics of the region, and suggests some important ways, given these data, to improve worker skills, firm productivity, economic development, and long-term planning in SWSC.

Seeds of Workforce Change represents a collaborative effort to align and strengthen economic and workforce development systems in the region. The report was produced by COWS, with the input of many key stakeholders in the region, for the Workforce Development Boards of South Central and Southwest Wisconsin. It was made possible by a grant from Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development as part of Governor Jim Doyle’s “Growing Regional Opportunities in Wisconsin” (GROW) initiative.

Documents provided include Full Report and Executive Summary.

On June 1, 2006, Wisconsin’s minimum wage rose to $6.50 an hour. This was the second of a two-step increase that began on June 1, 2005, when the state minimum wage was increased from the federal minimum of $5.15 an hour to $5.70 an hour.

Prepared by COWS for the Energy Center of Wisconsin (now Seventhwave) on behalf of Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle’s Consortium on Biobased Industry.

This study (in three volumes) is intended to paint, in broad strokes, the background for the Wisconsin bioeconomy picture. To fill in some of the details, we provide a companion Technical Study dedicated to exploring the specific feedstocks currently grown in Wisconsin, and their potential to anchor various bioindustry processes. Taken together, the Briefing Paper and the Technical Study point toward a key conclusion: in order to create a successful bioeconomy, Wisconsin must not only build on its existing resources and infrastructure, but must also pursue specific policies targeted toward creating an economy that includes a range of rural and urban jobs, entrepreneurship opportunities, ownership opportunities for rural landowners, and economic incentives balanced with environmental protections.