The Significance of Batten Hosting Fifth District Debate Oct 01, 2018 Molly Hannon The Significance of Batten Hosting Fifth District Debate On Friday, September 28th, the Batten School, Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL), College Republicans at UVA, and University Democrats at UVA co-hosted a debate between Democrat Leslie Cockburn and Republican Denver Riggleman—the candidates vying for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District seat in the November midterm elections. The non-partisan debate was moderated by Batten Professors Craig Volden and Gerald Warburg. Garrett Hall is no stranger to events of this caliber—each week the school hosts distinguished speakers from a wide range of policy-related fields during Batten Hour, and welcomes nationally and internationally recognized guests throughout the academic calendar. But a debate is something else entirely, and hosting one—which the school has done in some capacity since opening its doors in 2007—reinforces Batten’s foundational commitment to civil discourse and civic engagement. The nature of a political debate is as such: to expose the most pressing public issues of the time to public scrutiny. In any culture or political system, debates are the bedrock of democracy—truth being more important than victory. This is central to the mission of the University as a public institution. In an interview with The Cavalier Daily prior to the debate, Professor Warburg said “We feel it’s an obligation for us as a public institution to facilitate this type of dialogue and it is very much part of the Batten mission. This is an opportunity for voters including students to interact with the two people who could be representing them in an important race, in an important election.” View more coverage of Friday’s debate: 5th District candidates’ differences on display The Daily Progress (This article also appeared in the Lynchburg News and Advance and Roanoke Times) Congressional hopefuls spar during debate at UVAWINA Fifth District candidates debate at UVACBS19 5th District Candidates Discuss Affordable Housing in Central Va. at 3rd DebateNBC29 VA-05 Debate Highlights That on Issue After Issue, Riggleman (R) Is Wildly Wrong and Cockburn (D) Is Absolutely RightBlue Virginia One Year After Horrific Las Vegas Gun Massacre, Denver Can’t “Riggle” His Way Out of Support for Bump StocksBlue Virginia Craig Volden Craig Volden is a professor of public policy and politics, with appointments in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the Woodrow Wilson Department of Politics. He studies legislative politics and the interaction among political institutions, including within American federalism. Read full bio Gerald Warburg Warburg teaches courses at the Batten School on Congress, U.S. foreign policy and advocacy strategies. He is the lead faculty member in the Batten School massive open online course (MOOC) “Public Policy Challenges of the 21st Century,” which is available on Coursera. Read full bio Related Content Craig Volden Spatial Models of Legislative Effectiveness Research Spatial models of policymaking have evolved from the median voter theorem through the inclusion of institutional considerations such as political parties, committees, and various voting and amendment rules. Such models, however, implicitly assume that no policy is more effective than another at solving public policy problems and that all proposers are equally capable of advancing proposals. Party Calls and Reelection in the US Senate Research Minozzi and Volden advance the idea that a substantial portion of partisan voting activity in Congress is a simple call to unity that is especially easily embraced by ideological extremists. If correct, Minozzi and Volden’s findings should extend from the House to the Senate, despite differences in institutional structures and in tools at the disposal of party leaders across the two chambers. How Women Leaders Can Enhance Rulemaking In The Biden Administration News How can the Biden-Harris team increase its odds for regulatory success? According to research from Batten’s Craig Volden and co-author Rachel Augustine Potter, the new administration can accomplish policy change by hiring women leaders and establishing supportive work environments. Focus on Cabinet Nominees' Effectiveness and Expertise, Not Just Ideology News As President-elect Joe Biden’s cabinet nominees have been named, much of the discussion has been about their ideological leanings. In an article for The Hill, Batten's Craig Volden and Vanderbilt University's Alan E. Wiseman, co-directors of the Center for Effective Lawmaking, outline why these ideological discussions are too narrow a focus. Gerald Warburg Dispatches from the Eastern Front: A Political Education from the Nixon Years to the Age of Obama Research A naïve undergraduate is transported from a small California town to the intensely competitive world of Capitol Hill policymaking. Gerald Felix Warburg’s memoir is not just a story about four decades in Washington, although a life spent as a House of Representatives and Senate staffer, and as a lobbyist and professor, provides remarkable insight into the struggles, the strategies, and the people of the U.S. capital. Nonprofileration Policy Crossroads Research On October 1, 2008, Congress enacted a proposal that originated with President George W. Bush in 2005 to approve an unprecedented nuclear trade pact with India by removing a central pillar of US nonproliferation policy. Despite the numerous political challenges confronting the Bush administration, the initiative won strong bipartisan support, including votes from Democratic Senators Joseph Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama. Photos: Daily Academic Life at UVA in the COVID-19 Era News University photographers take a look at in-person learning on Grounds, including Batten students and professors in the classroom, during a fall semester shaped by the ongoing pandemic. Learn How In-Person Instruction Is Going at the University of Virginia News UVA unveiled a new style of classroom teaching Sept. 8. See how three professors, including Batten's Gerald Warburg, are navigating the experience.
Craig Volden Craig Volden is a professor of public policy and politics, with appointments in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the Woodrow Wilson Department of Politics. He studies legislative politics and the interaction among political institutions, including within American federalism. Read full bio
Gerald Warburg Warburg teaches courses at the Batten School on Congress, U.S. foreign policy and advocacy strategies. He is the lead faculty member in the Batten School massive open online course (MOOC) “Public Policy Challenges of the 21st Century,” which is available on Coursera. Read full bio
Spatial Models of Legislative Effectiveness Research Spatial models of policymaking have evolved from the median voter theorem through the inclusion of institutional considerations such as political parties, committees, and various voting and amendment rules. Such models, however, implicitly assume that no policy is more effective than another at solving public policy problems and that all proposers are equally capable of advancing proposals.
Party Calls and Reelection in the US Senate Research Minozzi and Volden advance the idea that a substantial portion of partisan voting activity in Congress is a simple call to unity that is especially easily embraced by ideological extremists. If correct, Minozzi and Volden’s findings should extend from the House to the Senate, despite differences in institutional structures and in tools at the disposal of party leaders across the two chambers.
How Women Leaders Can Enhance Rulemaking In The Biden Administration News How can the Biden-Harris team increase its odds for regulatory success? According to research from Batten’s Craig Volden and co-author Rachel Augustine Potter, the new administration can accomplish policy change by hiring women leaders and establishing supportive work environments.
Focus on Cabinet Nominees' Effectiveness and Expertise, Not Just Ideology News As President-elect Joe Biden’s cabinet nominees have been named, much of the discussion has been about their ideological leanings. In an article for The Hill, Batten's Craig Volden and Vanderbilt University's Alan E. Wiseman, co-directors of the Center for Effective Lawmaking, outline why these ideological discussions are too narrow a focus.
Dispatches from the Eastern Front: A Political Education from the Nixon Years to the Age of Obama Research A naïve undergraduate is transported from a small California town to the intensely competitive world of Capitol Hill policymaking. Gerald Felix Warburg’s memoir is not just a story about four decades in Washington, although a life spent as a House of Representatives and Senate staffer, and as a lobbyist and professor, provides remarkable insight into the struggles, the strategies, and the people of the U.S. capital.
Nonprofileration Policy Crossroads Research On October 1, 2008, Congress enacted a proposal that originated with President George W. Bush in 2005 to approve an unprecedented nuclear trade pact with India by removing a central pillar of US nonproliferation policy. Despite the numerous political challenges confronting the Bush administration, the initiative won strong bipartisan support, including votes from Democratic Senators Joseph Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama.
Photos: Daily Academic Life at UVA in the COVID-19 Era News University photographers take a look at in-person learning on Grounds, including Batten students and professors in the classroom, during a fall semester shaped by the ongoing pandemic.
Learn How In-Person Instruction Is Going at the University of Virginia News UVA unveiled a new style of classroom teaching Sept. 8. See how three professors, including Batten's Gerald Warburg, are navigating the experience.