Soon after Noah Williams joined the UW-Madison faculty as the Juli Plant Grainger Professor of Economics, he identified a need for more state-level economic research. “In discussions with state and local business and community leaders, I saw there wasn't any research or very little that I could draw from to try to answer their questions - essentially, what would be the impact of changes in state policy or regulation on the economy and on the citizens of Wisconsin?”
At the same time, he saw a general shift in undergraduate economics course instruction away from the fundamental ideas which underlie the free market system. With an initial grant from The Bradley Foundation, Noah founded the Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy (CROWE), a nonprofit focused on research, engagement, and outreach from a market-based perspective.
Research: CROWE enables more informed discussion about Wisconsin’s economic policy by producing timely studies and regular reports on major economic trends in the state. Upcoming work will focus on tax reform and trade policy.
Engagement: CROWE engages students in research and a wide variety of required and elective courses, many of which weren't being taught in UW-Madison’s economics department previously.
Outreach: CROWE gives speeches and talks with business and community groups throughout the state and hosts its own events on campus for the broader community.
Though CROWE is a university-based research center, it is fully donor-supported. “Part of our role is to provide a sort of missing voice here on campus, with more of a market-based and free-market perspective, and to disseminate that research broadly,” says Noah. “The idea is to give a broader perspective and an historical perspective for students so they would have a better understanding of both what’s distinct about the American economy and how that’s led to many of the improvements that they take for granted.”
“Part of our role is to provide a missing voice here on campus, with more of a market-based and a free-market perspective, and to disseminate research along those lines broadly.”
- Noah Williams, Founder, Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy (CROWE)
