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Government
Wisconsin’s economic future rests on its ability to compete in the global marketplace. The Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy works with the public sector to define the complex challenges facing Wisconsin in the context of globalization. Through our International Trade Partnership, our Speakers Bureau and a variety of other forums, we bring together the public, government officials, and distinguished faculty from across the campus and the world to address those needs. WAGE faculty regularly contribute their expertise by working with state, national, and international organizations, including the Governor’s Council on Economic Growth, the National Research Council, the United Nations and the World Health Organization. Our Senior Fellows frequently share their research with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, central banks around the world, the Council on Foreign Relations, the European Union, and the World Trade Organization. WAGE also proudly supports the Governor’s successful overseas trade missions. WAGE has twice received governmental recognition related to outreach activities. In June 2007, Scott Hassett, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, presented the International Innovation Award to WAGE Director Jonathan Zeitlin in recognition of teaching, research, and outreach activities in support of innovative systems of environmental governance. In April 2008, WAGE Senior Fellow Jeremi Suri received a Certificate of Recognition for outstanding service to Wisconsin veterans and the community from John A. Scocos, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. The Certificate recognized Suri’s contributions to the Distinguished Historians Lecture Series, a joint initiative of WAGE and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum.
Below we have highlighted some of our many recent government outreach activities.
Government Outreach Events
The Potential Economic Costs of a PandemicWAGE senior fellow Professor Vicki Bier, WAGE affiliate Scientist Lorna Zach, and other colleagues authored a report on pandemic planning published in 2008 by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS). The report provides insight into when and whether to close schools, which businesses must stay open and which can close—and how the working poor may be affected by these decisions. It also contains the first-ever county-by-county projection of how a pandemic would affect Wisconsin economically, making it a tool for both public health officials and legislators.
On November 20th WAGE convened a panel of distinguished UW-Madison professors who offered different perspectives on the causes, consequences, and potential solutions for the global economic crisis. Experts from economics, business, law, public affairs, and political science provided insight into the following questions: How did a crisis in the U.S. housing market grow into a full blown global economic crisis? What do these events mean for the global economy, governments, businesses and average people around the world? How might we evaluate proposed solutions here and abroad?
Grand Strategy Program Develops New-Generation Leaders
What do American soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan do in their "spare" time? This summer, 22 Army, Navy and Air Force officers took an online course through UW-Madison. The course, part of the Grand Strategy Program, was taught by WAGE Senior Fellow and history professor Jeremi Suri, who also directs the program. The course was made possible by a lead gift from the Hertog Foundation.
From Sandbags to Sanity: The Policy Implications of the Midwest Floods of 2008
Stronger leadership, more communication, better research, greater education and stiffer laws could help control flood damage and reduce loss of property and lives, according to more than a dozen experts who spoke at an all-day seminar in Madison. These experts also identified a need to fundamentally reconsider how we ask citizens to share risk and responsibility, and the role of government in shaping those choices.
China-US Water Symposium: A Wisconsin Idea approach to science, policy, and practice
About 35 Chinese scientists, experts and officials from universities, government agencies and national research institutes attended the China-US Water Symposium in Wisconsin from July 18-25, 2008. The idea originated with UW-Madison Chinese students who believe applying the Wisconsin Idea in China can help their nation address its water and other environmental issues. The Legislature approved a pilot project that ultimately involved business, government and private and public university partners, including the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy.
Melvin Laird in War, Peace, and Politics
After his election in 1968, President-Elect Nixon asked Wisconsin Congressman Melvin Laird to find him a secretary of defense. However, with the country at the peak of its involvement in Vietnam, no one wanted the job. After a long and frustrating process, Laird took the job himself, and during his term, deftly navigated the politics and peril attached to the war, overseeing Vietnamization, ending the draft, initiating troop withdrawals, and crafting an exit strategy. This series of lectures, held at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum on April 22, 2008, brought together scholars, government officials, and authors to celebrate the publishing of the first authorized biography of Secretary Laird.
Trade Briefing with Visiting Government Delegation from Kano, Nigeria
This trade briefing on October 29, 2007, brought together a delegation of government officials and some business representatives from the Nigerian state of Kano and Wisconsin government officials, Madison business leaders, UW-System faculty, and representatives of University Research Park. Kano State, as one of the largest states in Nigeria, shares similar characteristics with Wisconsin. It is a rich agricultural state in Nigeria and has the largest commodity market in West Africa. The visiting delegation learned about trade opportunities for Nigerian companies and possibilities for Wisconsin companies to invest in Kano, particularly in biotechnology.
2007 China and Japan Trade Mission Briefing
In preparation for the State of Wisconsin trade mission to Japan and China led by Governor Jim Doyle, approximately 50 individuals attended an August 7, 2007 pre-mission briefing held at UW-Madison’s Fluno Center for Executive Education. The trade delegation, representing Wisconsin businesses, trade organizations, educational institutions and governmental agencies, will visit Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Harbin and Ningbo in September 2007. The pre-mission briefing provided participants with economic and political updates on China and advice on pursuing business opportunities in that country.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Its Implications for Business and Government in Wisconsin
An informal breakfast with Bennett Freeman of the Calvert Group, and leaders in local business, government and education to discuss questions of social responsibility in business and government.
Distinguished Lecture Series at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum
In partnership with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of History, WAGE presented a series of lectures featuring several of the top military, political, and diplomatic historians in the United States. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum hosted the distinguished lecture series from 2006-2008, and we are happy to continue our partnership with the museum.
Innovative Environmental Governance and Regulation in the European Union
On June 19, 2007, environmental policy in the European Union took center stage at a workshop organized by the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE) and the European Union Center of Excellence (EUCE) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The workshop brought together representatives of academia, business, civil society, and international organizations for a discussion of new forms of governance and regulation in the European Union and their promise for meeting environmental challenges within an atmosphere of tight government budgets and competitive business practices. Practitioners and policymakers from the United States closed the day with a roundtable panel that summarized the lessons of the European experience and called for application of innovative techniques in the U.S. context. The workshop formed part of the annual conference of the Multi-State Working Group (MSWG) on Environmental Performance, a group that aims to promote collaborative approaches to environmental protection, sustainability, and social responsibility.
Global Biological Threats
On April 7, 2006, over 200 public health, business, university, and government officials gathered together at the Global Biological Threats Symposium to learn about the origins, risks, and possible solutions demanded by emerging biological threats, such as bioterrorism, Avian influenza, and SARS. The symposium featured speakers from the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, the USDA, Southcentral Wisconsin Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Consortium, and from multiple disciplines at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The impact of international trade agreements on Wisconsin
State legislators, faculty from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, government officials and members of Wisconsin’s legal community came together at the Madison Club on September 21, 2005 to hear Professor Jose Alvarez (Columbia Law School) speak on NAFTA’s investment rules, their judicial application, and their impact on the United States, including Wisconsin state government.
Environmental Law In a Connected World
More than 300 environmentalists, policy-makers and business representatives from seven countries and eight states came together in a rare three-way exchange to explore innovative environmental policies and practices. The conference, "Environmental Law in a Connected World," highlighted international efforts at innovation in environmental protection that encompass state government, business and private partnerships. Experts from Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, China and the United States presented.
The Crisis of Funding Local Governments and Schools: Lessons from Other Countries
More than 150 people from all over Wisconsin gathered for the November 12, 2002 conference "The Crisis in Funding Local Governments and Schools - Lessons from Other Countries." The program challenged participants to look internationally for new ideas and solutions for providing high quality municipal and educational services amidst a severe fiscal crisis. Leading experts from the U.S. and five other countries (France, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and Canada) shared their expertise in local government financing.
International Affairs Breakfast Series
WAGE and the La Follette School of Public Affairs periodically sponsor an International Breakfast Series to expose Wisconsin legislators to important international issues. Annual themes have included "Wisconsin in the Global Economy" and "Critical Choices."
Genetically Modified Crops/Foods: The Future of The World Agricultural Economy?
This international conference looked at the emergence of genetically modified crops (GMOs), the business and regulatory environment in the United States, and its impact on US-EU relations and for developing nations.
Workshop: "New Approaches to Environmental Regulation in Wisconsin"
Wisconsin is in the midst of significant innovations in environmental regulation. In the last several years, the state has enacted legislation and is implementing administrative actions that are sometimes dubbed "second generation" regulation. This roundtable discussed these cutting-edge regulatory methods and their relationship to the law and the role of lawyers.
Biotechnology and Transatlantic Relations
Former U.S. Ambassador to the OECD and U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor, David Aaron, discussed the ways in which biotechnology is reshaping our world and leading to clashes between both the regulatory and value systems of both Europe and the United States.
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