Press Releases

The Badger Institute today launches its 2026 Mandate for Madison, a comprehensive policy agenda to preserve and promote opportunity for Wisconsin and its citizens.

The Badger Institute applauded Gov. Tony Evers and Republican legislators for passage of a crucial housing bill that will increase supply and bring down cost while still allowing municipalities to control whether they want to grow.

Gov. Tony Evers’ refusal to let Wisconsinites donate to public and private schools by using a federal tax credit is baffling.

The Badger Institute is offering lawmakers a compilation of our year of research into how to make Wisconsin housing more attainable.

One month before Wisconsinites vote on whether to amend the state constitution, the Badger Institute today launched a campaign to ensure voters are equipped with the information they need about the proposed reform to state spending.

“Wisconsin presents far different trade-offs when it comes to the adoption of all-electric heat, given its climate and the economic particulars,” said Hanson. “We found the cost disadvantage strikingly large, and it was remarkable how robust the difference was. We hope this helps policymakers.”

“This is a long-awaited, great day for potentially hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites, including a lot of poor kids, who suffer from toothaches and cavities and poor health,” said Badger Institute President Mike Nichols.

The Badger Institute on Wednesday praised action by the Legislature’s budget writing committee to raise pay for prosecutors and public defenders, a move the Institute has been advocating for nearly a year.

The Badger Institute published new research by a nationally noted economist finding that a single-rate reform of Wisconsin’s individual income tax would yield substantial benefits to everyone in the state by spurring faster economic growth, more job options and more investment.

The Badger Institute today announced the promotion of Angela Smith to executive vice president, the addition of board members Shannon Whitworth and Matt Rowe, and the appointment of an array of Wisconsin luminaries as emeritus directors.

The Badger Institute today celebrated the news that Wisconsin lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg), are unveiling legislation to shift our state to a single-rate personal income tax — a recommendation made by the Badger Institute and Tax Foundation in in July. 

Institute research shows that flat tax would improve state competitiveness, increase prosperity October 5, 2022…

The Badger Institute today released four new reports as part of a Mandate for Madison crime and public safety package.

The Badger Institute has been a champion of school choice since our inception as the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute in the late 1980s.