Strange but true, in Wisconsin, COWS may be running the City of Madison. The Center on Wisconsin Strategy, also known as COWS, is a “research and policy center” operating from the heart of the UW Madison Campus. Being part of the University allows this group to utilize the University’s nonprofit status and to receive funding from state and local government agencies. Technically, the organization is not “partisan”, but in philosophical terms it is openly and proudly “progressive”.
This group functions as a tactical think tank for the ideas of Joel Rogers, the author of How Divided Progressives Might Unite and theorist behind a model of economic development he terms the “High Road”. Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is a supporter of the principles of this model and cites them frequently in policy discussions. Dr. Rogers is very clear about wanting to test his theory that public policy control of cities can produce greater eco-friendly wealth and justice for the general population.
This group functions as a tactical think tank for the ideas of Joel Rogers, the author of How Divided Progressives Might Unite and theorist behind a model of economic development he terms the “High Road”. Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is a supporter of the principles of this model and cites them frequently in policy discussions. Dr. Rogers is very clear about wanting to test his theory that public policy control of cities can produce greater eco-friendly wealth and justice for the general population.
“A key component of COWS’ work is our advocacy of “high road” economic development strategies – strategies that promote high-quality jobs under competitive conditions, environmental sustainability, corporate accountability, and community revitalization. Our approach runs counter to the conventional model of economic growth, which typically ignores job quality, erodes the tax base, harms the environment, lacks accountability to broader community interests, and is unfriendly to labor.”Experimenting with a real society, with people’s lives and fortunes, is very expensive and it takes willing partners in government to both pass the “reforms” and pony up the necessary money. As the last two centuries have demonstrated, it is hard to control all the variables in a social experiment, and when social experiments go wrong, the results can be tragic.
“COWS prides itself on the “Wisconsin Idea”: the use of University resources — in concert with state government and community, labor, and business leaders — to improve existing social arrangements and policy through bold, informed experiment.”
