Research Reports
The Public Policy Forum publishes reports,
research briefs, and major studies across a range of topics.
Visit our Issues page to access reports
by topic; here you can access all reports by title, date,
or type (full report or research brief).
Recent Reports
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| 12th Annual Report Card on Charitable Giving in Metro Milwaukee |
November, 2008
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| full report
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| Nonprofits play an important role in the region. They provide needed services that educate children, protect the environment and make health care accessible. The area's nonprofit arts organizations also enrich our cultural lives.
But local nonprofits are also an important part of our local economy. According to a 2007 report by The Cultural Alliance of Greater Milwaukee, the nonprofit arts industry generates the equivalent of 8,359 jobs and has an economic impact of more than $249 million in metropolitan Milwaukee each year. When local nonprofi s struggle, the community may experience both a reduction in access to services and a negative impact on the economy.
The 2008 Report Card on Charitable Giving focuses on the gift trends of our bellwether nonprofits since 1992. This year, a new dimension was added to give the community a clearer picture of what some nonprofits are experiencing now. A survey of human services agencies, in June indicates a sector experiencing increased demand and decreased stability. |
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| Milwaukee County-Funded Parks and Cultural Institutions |
November, 2008
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| full report
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| The Public Policy Forum’s role in the Audit of Greater Milwaukee’s Regional Cultural Assets
was to examine the fiscal condition of those cultural assets owned and/or funded by Milwaukee
County: the Milwaukee Public Museum, Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, Milwaukee
County War Memorial Center, Milwaukee County Historical Society, Charles Allis Museum,
Villa Terrace Decorative Art Museum, Milwaukee County Cultural Artistic and Musical
Programming Advisory Council, Milwaukee County Zoo and Milwaukee County Parks. |
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| 11th annual comparative analysis of the Racine Unified School District |
October, 2008
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| full report
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| This is the 11th annual report on conditions affecting the Racine Unified School District
(RUSD). This year, our analysis again focuses on the long-term historical trends in RUSD.
The analysis compares RUSD to nine peer school districts and the State of Wisconsin. RUSD
peer districts are Wisconsin’s largest (Milwaukee Public Schools are not included) and their
enrollments are similar to the enrollment in Racine. We have grouped the findings in the report
based on RUSD quality objective measures: student achievement, student engagement, and operational
efficiency. Student achievement includes test scores and graduation rates; student engagement
includes attendance and behavior; and operational efficiency includes finance data. |
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| Budget Brief: 2009 City of Milwaukee Proposed Budget |
October, 2008
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| full report
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| In his 2009 budget address, Mayor Tom Barrett called the 2009 budget “the toughest we have faced.” A closer examination of his proposed budget reveals he was not exaggerating. Not only must the city contend with typical challenges such as increased wage and benefits costs and stagnant state aids, but this year it also must accommodate significant impacts generated by national economic conditions, including lower earnings on investments and a $3 million increase in budgeted fuel and energy costs. Additional challenges are the strong desire to maintain recent momentum in reducing crime rates by continuing healthy Police Department staffing levels, and the need to accommodate a loss of intergovernmental revenue from Milwaukee Public Schools. |
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| Budget Brief: Milwaukee County 2009 Executive Budget |
October, 2008
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| full report
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| Milwaukee County has faced excruciatingly difficult budgets for each of the past several years, and the 2009 budget is no different. What is different, however, is the very clear emphasis on privatization by County Executive Scott Walker as the primary strategy for addressing the county’s structural budget shortfall in 2009, and going forward.
While piecemeal privatization proposals, primarily in human services, have been a staple of the county executive’s previous budgets and a perennial source of conflict with the county board, his 2009 Recommended Budget is dominated by such proposals in several different areas of the budget and on a much larger scale. |
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| Region’s Schools Narrow Achievement Gap With State |
October 13, 2008
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| research brief
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| In a direct reversal from last year, the 2007-08 achievement gap between schools in southeast Wisconsin and
those in the rest of the state, as measured by Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam (WKCE) standardized
test scores, narrowed in all subjects at all grade levels. |
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| 2007-2008 Southeastern Wisconsin School District Rankings |
October, 2008
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| full report
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| Pull-out poster providing rankings in an easily readable format. Rankings of K-12 school districts, according to enrollment, district finances, student participation and student performance measures. |
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| Wisconsin's Workforce Development System: A graphical guide to employment and training resources in Wisconsin |
September, 2008
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| full report
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| On the reverse side of this report we present a resource map of Wisconsin's workforce development system that is intended to graphically bridge together state and federal funding specifically devoted to employment and training programs administered by the State of Wisconsin. The purpose of the map is to give policymakers and service providers a clear picture of the state's current offerings and to serve as a guide in ongoing reform efforts. Email rhorton@publicpolicyforum.org to request a printed copy.
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| Citizen Views on Government Structure in Milwaukee County |
August, 2008
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| full report
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| The Public Policy Forum's new public opinion survey marks the first comprehensive measure of public opinion on county government since the eruption of the pension scandal in 2002 and the county executive's widely publicized fiscal "reality" tour in 2006. The survey also comes on the heels of a call by a prominent civic leader for elimination of county government.
Overall, the survey reveals that citizens have a favorable view of Milwaukee County and services provided by Milwaukee County government. Nevertheless, a large majority of the survey respondents see a need for some restructuring of county government. African-American as well as low-income respondents are less positive about the county and a higher proportion of them support restructuring. Respondents are evenly split in support of changes in governance regarding certain county functions.
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| Corporate Views on Climate Change |
August, 2008
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| full report
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| Worldwide there is increased attention to issues associated with climate change. While
policy makers at various levels grapple with the broad policy issues associated with
mitigating climate change, a portion of consumers and businesses are taking action.
Some businesses are making commitments to various green practices and some
consumers are comparing businesses based on these practices. Focus on Energy, the
statewide energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative in Wisconsin, wanted to
understand the views and actions of Wisconsin businesses with respect to climate change.
This is a report on a new survey of the perspectives of one key group: Wisconsin’s
corporate leadership. The six-page survey was mailed to 5,000 senior executives of
businesses throughout Wisconsin and was completed and returned in spring 2008 by 340
of them, the vast majority presidents and chief executive officers. |
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