Admissions & Aid Applying to Batten Admissions Blog Posts Tagged with Center for Effective Lawmaking Effective Lawmaking in Virginia: Past, Present and Future This week’s Batten Hour featured Bill Howell, former Speaker of the House of Delegates, and David Toscano, former House Minority Leader, in a discussion about how the legislature is addressing past, present and future policy challenges. Their discussion was moderated by Craig Volden, professor of public policy and politics and co-director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking. Read More Center for Effective Lawmaking George Hadijski George Hadijski is the Senior Program Associate at the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL), a joint partnership between the Batten School and Vanderbilt University. He is responsible for increasing the use of CEL’s research by lawmakers, their staffs, and their influencers. Read More Center for Effective Lawmaking, Staff Briefing Congress's "Problem Solvers" The co-directors of the Center for Effective Lawmaking -- Craig Volden of the Batten School and Tom Wiseman of Vanderbilt University -- held a briefing in DC recently with staff members of the congressional Problem Solvers Caucus to share their insights into what it takes to become an effective lawmaker. Read More Center for Effective Lawmaking Improving Expertise of Congressional Staff In an op-ed published in The Messenger, Craig Volden and Alan E. Wiseman of the Center for Effective Lawmaking write that without proper career training for congressional staffers, expertise gaps on Capitol Hill will continue to be problematic. Read More Center for Effective Lawmaking, Faculty In Action, Domestic Policy & Politics Fred Gui Fred Gui is a postdoctoral research associate at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy working with the Center for Effective Lawmaking. Fred's research interests include American political institutions, interest groups, state and local politics, and racial and ethnic politics. Read More Center for Effective Lawmaking, Staff, Center for Effective Lawmaking, Domestic Policy & Politics Laurel Harbridge-Yong Cosponsored by the Center for Effective Lawmaking Laurel Harbridge-Yong’s teaching and research focuses on partisan conflict and the lack of bipartisan agreement in American politics. Her research examines why Congressional parties prioritize partisan conflict, focusing on both institutional changes and public preferences for bipartisanship. Read More Center for Effective Lawmaking Legislative Effectiveness, Progressive Ambition, and Electoral Success Are effective state lawmakers more likely than ineffective state lawmakers to be elected to Congress? Our findings offer important insights into how American federalism contributes to representation by effective lawmakers. Read More Center for Effective Lawmaking, Political Science, Domestic Policy & Politics Bipartisanship the “secret sauce” for effective lawmaking, despite rising polarization in Congress Despite perceptions that Congress is dominated by partisan interests, a new study from the Center for Effective Lawmaking -- co-directed by Batten professor Craig Volden -- finds that legislators who draw in cosponsors from both sides of the aisle are more effective. Read More Center for Effective Lawmaking, Featured Research, Domestic Policy & Politics, Democracy Highlights from the New 117th Congress Legislative Effectiveness Scores Reps. Gerald Connolly, D-VA, and Don Bacon, R-NE, and Sens. Gary Peters, D-MI, and John Cornyn, R-TX, top their respective lists of the most effective Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the recently completed 117th Congress (2021–23), according to the latest round of legislative effectiveness scores compiled by the Center for Effective Lawmaking released March 20. Read More Center for Effective Lawmaking, Faculty In Action George Santos' college education is a myth. Is he the only one lying? We checked. How often are the educational backgrounds of Congressional legislators and candidates vetted, and how much do degrees matter? Craig Volden, Batten School professor and co-director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking, talked with USA Today about Congress members’ educational backgrounds and how a degree correlates to effectiveness as a legislator. Read More Center for Effective Lawmaking, Research and Commentary Pagination Page 1 Next page ›› Subscribe to Center for Effective Lawmaking Categories Alumni(6) Career Outcomes(8) Events(11) Accelerated MPP(56) New Student(13) Policy Minor(38) Batten Ambassadors(28) Faculty(2) Tuition and Financial Aid (1)SE Minor(20) Curriculum(33) BA(61) Essays(8) Admissions(44) Personal Statement(3) Application(31) Study Abroad (1)Student Life(36) Recommendations(11) MPP(39)