TRENDING:
- UW System opens door to 3-year degrees, but many students already are on pace for one
- How to keep good teachers in the classroom
- In talent squeeze, independent schools respond — and seek relief
- Data center reassurances don’t stand a chance against ‘Terminator’
- Teachers in flight
- Grades now hyper-inflated at UW-Madison
- Ethnic studies courses required to graduate at all 13 four-year UW schools
- Crucial Badger-supported housing bill passes through Senate
Mandate for Madison 2026
Over the past 15 years, Wisconsin has made meaningful progress toward greater economic freedom and a public policy environment supportive of growth and opportunity. This progress is real, but it is also incomplete and fragile.
The 2026 Mandate for Madison aims to provide evidence and insight to inform public debate and decision-making at this crucial juncture in the state’s history. Through an expansive and rigorous research program publishing expert analyses across a wide range of policy areas throughout the year, the Mandate will help policymakers, regardless of partisan affiliation, protect the gains of the past 15 years and continue building a prosperous and economically vibrant Wisconsin.
Ben Eisen
Badger Institute Vice President of Policy and Research
Recent publications
The 2026 Mandate for Madison will provide the evidence base Wisconsin policymakers need to protect the gains of the past 15 years and continue moving toward greater economic freedom and prosperity.
The 2026 Mandate for Madison will refocus the debate in scores of statewide and downballot races on information we know smart voters and candidates crave.
Explore the Mandate
This section will examine Wisconsin’s recent economic performance and the evolution of the state’s ranking on economic freedom indices. Its chapters will benchmark the state against its peers and draw on comparative evidence showing that a broad policy framework centered on economic freedom encourages prosperity and opportunity.
Chapters in this section will assess Wisconsin’s tax competitiveness and the state of its public finances. Contributors will present policy options for restoring fiscal sustainability and creating a competitive and pro-growth tax environment.
Chapters in this section will examine a wide range of policy areas including healthcare, Medicaid, school choice, higher education, early childhood, and criminal justice. Contributors will identify reforms that can promote public safety and make health and education services more responsive to the unique needs and preferences of every family in the state.
Chapters in this section will present options to promote economic growth, attract investment, and enhance the ability of businesses and individuals to pursue their own interests and goals without unnecessary regulatory intervention by the state government.
This section will show how Wisconsin can build a more accountable government and a stronger civil society. Its chapters will address topics including welfare reform, government accountability, and policy options for strengthening the families, communities, and voluntary associations that are essential to opportunity and human flourishing.
Support the Mandate for Madison
When you support the Badger Institute, you help us put the Mandate for Madison and Badger’s other resources into the hands of decision-makers who can enact bona fide policy reform.
If you want to live in a Wisconsin with better schools, more affordable housing, lower taxes and fewer regulations, donate to make these recommendations a reality and join your fellow citizens who are determined to protect Wisconsin’s wins and ward of the missteps of Minnesota and Illinois.
