Badger Institute

Minimum Wage: The High Cost
of Increasing Minimum Wage
in Wisconsin to $15

Policy brief: Roughly 350,000 Wisconsin workers would be at risk of losing their jobs as a result of increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Analysis by visiting fellows Ike Brannon and Andrew Hanson.

The Hop’s influence is a flop

Claims that the streetcar swayed major development decisions in downtown Milwaukee are off track, according to a Badger Institute review and interviews. By Ken Wysocky.

Protecting history or promoting agendas?

The use of historic designation nowadays often has nothing to do with preservation. Analysis by Julie Grace.

Is it high time to legalize marijuana
for recreational use in Wisconsin?

YES: Legal cannabis will bring health benefits, racial justice and personal freedom. By Phil Anderson, chair of the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin.

NO: The harmful effects on health and society outweigh any potential benefits. By Van Wanggaard, Republican state senator from Racine.

What's new from the Badger Institute

Michigan’s model for cutting crime, closing prisons and curtailing costs

Former Michigan state Sen. John Proos (R), chair of the legislative budget subcommittees overseeing corrections and the judiciary budgets, describes the bipartisan reform measures Michigan adopted in 2017 and the dramatic improvements that followed. The event at the Wisconsin State Capitol was sponsored by the Wisconsin Criminal Justice Coalition. Watch video of the May 22 event here.

Diggings Spring 2019

► Victor Berger: Virulent bigot
► The resurrection of socialism
► The Hop’s influence is a flop
► Protecting history or promoting agendas?
► Is it high time to legalize marijuana in Wisconsin? Read arguments for and against legalization.
► Guest Opinion: Courage as a modern virtue
► Frontlines: Mike Mooney, on his own terms
► Culture Con: The changing landscape of retail exemplifies free enterprise at work
► Editor's Note
► Badger Briefing

Overall tax reform in Wisconsin depends on the sales tax

The state Department of Revenue's guidelines on taxing ice cream cakes illustrate the absurd complexity of state's sales tax system. By visiting fellow Jay Miller.

Tax Foundation analyzes tax proposals in Evers budget

The Tax Foundation, which partnered with the Badger Institute to publish the recently released Wisconsin Tax Options: A Guide to Fair, Simple, Pro-Growth Reform, posted an assessment of the various tax proposals contained in Gov. Tony Evers' budget. The analysis examines changes to the individual income tax, business taxes, sales taxes, excise taxes and transportation taxes. Read the assessment here.

Expungement law reform

Badger Institute policy analyst Julie Grace testifies on March 19 before the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee in support of Senate Bill 39, which will make necessary reforms to Wisconsin's expungement law.
► Read the transcript of her presentation.
► Watch a video excerpt of her testimony.
► Expungement reform would put people back to work.
► 'Pathways to Employment' news conference.
► Proven successes in reform.

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 our Policy Symposium.

State'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 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, director of Forward Analytics.

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 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 nonprofits and employers to increase the likelihood of successful reintegration to the community. This video tells the story of Partners in Hope, a new reentry program in Milwaukee that has made this vision a reality.

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: