Badger Institute

Wisconsin Tax Options: A Guide
to Fair, Simple, Pro-Growth Reform

A new book by the Badger Institute and the Tax Foundation details how Wisconsin’s overall tax structure remains behind competitor states in simplicity, tax rates and business climate for residents and investment.

Prison time without a crime

There are high social and fiscal costs to monitoring and incarcerating parolees. Wisconsin policy-makers should consider reasonable reforms. By Badger Institute policy analyst Julie Grace.

Proven successes in reform

A panel of experts at the Badger Institute Policy Symposium discuss ways that Wisconsin can improve its criminal justice system.

Watch Video

The Foxconn lesson: State should
level the playing field, not offer
firm-specific incentives

Wisconsin's deal should be scrapped for reasons far beyond the possible switch from factory jobs to research jobs. By visiting fellow Ike Brannon.

The absurdity of PSC's 'avian mortality study'

Commission staff adds expensive requirement to Two Creeks solar farm project without considering the cost or whether a bird-death problem even exists.

Dental therapists: A solution
to Wisconsin's costly dental
access problem?

Dental therapists could improve access, use and outcomes, while reducing economic costs associated with the dental care monopoly and unnecessary ER visits for dental treatment. Policy brief by Jason Hicks and Morris M. Kleiner.

► Read the brief
► Read their op-ed
► Watch video of Kleiner's presentation at the Badger Institute Policy Symposium

What's new from the Badger Institute

Wisconsin's ideal pro-growth tax structure

Wisconsin’s overall tax structure remains behind competitor states in simplicity, tax rates and business climate for residents and investment. How can we reform the tax structure so that the state reaches its full potential? In a video from our recent Policy Symposium, Joe Bishop-Henchman and Katherine Loughead of the Tax Foundation discuss suggested reforms.
► View their PowerPoint.

Transportation needs and funding

Wisconsin has a transportation funding dilemma. How did it occur, and how can we fix it? In a video from our Policy Symposium, Dale Knapp, director of Forward Analytics, and Robert W. Poole Jr., director of transportation policy at the Reason Foundation, discuss growing expenditures, shrinking revenues and tolling solutions.
► View Knapp's PowerPoint.
► View Poole's PowerPoint.

How Wisconsin policy punishes some low-income parents for getting married

Policy brief: The state should make common-sense changes to Wisconsin Earned Income Tax Credit to mitigate the marriage penalty.

'Banning the box,' or boxing people out?

Policy brief: Fair-chance hiring policies may hurt the job-seekers they aim to help.

Transportation Funding Dilemma

A primer on Wisconsin's unsustainable transportation revenues. The state's funding challenge is exacerbated by its past reliance on borrowing. By Dale Knapp.

Expungement Reform: Pathways to Employment

Wisconsin legislators and stakeholders held a news conference on Jan. 29 to unveil the "Expungement Reform: Pathways to Employment" bill. The bill would allow individuals with misdemeanors or Class H and I felonies to also seek expungement after they serve their sentence, remove the age 25 restriction and would apply retroactively to those who served time before the new legislation.

Overcoming a mountain of occupational regulation in Wisconsin

New report doesn’t include comparisons with other states and policy recommendations. By visiting fellow Ed Timmons.

Institute grows team, moves to larger office

The Badger Institute's growth will allow even greater impact on key policy issues, President Mike Nichols says. Recent personnel changes include: Julie Grace, policy analyst in the Institute's Center for Opportunity; Kirsten Golinski, development associate; Brad Wassink, policy consultant; and Dr. Ed Timmons, visiting fellow.

A journey of second chances

Imagine a prisoner reentry program where the mentors include an FBI agent and a former federal prosecutor. Or a graduation ceremony where ex-offenders are encouraged, cheered and hugged not just by family and friends but by police officers, prison officials and judges. Imagine what could happen if the law enforcement community partnered with nonprofit organizations and employers to increase the likelihood of successful transition back to the community, breaking the cycle of incarceration. This video tells the story of Partners in Hope, a new reentry program in Milwaukee that has made this vision a reality.

Wisconsin: A Blueprint for More Workers

Report provides an overview of labor force participation in Wisconsin. Increasing the rate by just 1 percentage point would increase state GDP by $667 annually per resident. By Badger Institute visiting fellows Ike Brannon and Andrew Hanson.

Rethinking Wisconsin’s Highways

The Badger Institute hosted transportation expert Bob Poole to discuss Rethinking Wisconsin’s Highways. Poole promoted public-private partnerships and user-based tolls to address the congestion, maintenance, funding battles and pork barrel spending associated with the status quo. Watch the video here.

Licensure reform helps barbers, cosmetologists

Madison — Barbers, cosmetologists and other beauty professionals are now able to practice their professions with fewer regulatory burdens after reforms were signed into law that reduce complicated and costly licensing requirements. Read more here.

Project for 21st Century Federalism

The Project for 21st Century Federalism is the Badger Institute's multi-year investigation of the growth in federal grants and their effect on state and local governance. Highlights of the project: