About News News Subscribe Political Science Leadership Democracy Domestic Policy & Politics Research and Commentary Facet Area of Focus - News Gerald Warburg Brian N. Williams Benjamin Castleman David Leblang Ian H. Solomon Jay Shimshack Kirsten Gelsdorf Sophie Trawalter Allan Stam Christine Mahoney Daphna Bassok Harry Harding Jazmin Brown-Iannuzzi Jennifer Lawless John Holbein Margaret Foster Riley Michele Claibourn Philip Potter Sebastian Tello-Trillo Todd S. Sechser Adam Leive Adam Roux Bala Mulloth Benjamin Converse Christopher J. Ruhm Daniel W. Player Eileen Chou Gabrielle Adams Galen Fountain George Foresman Jeanine Braithwaite Jieun Pai Kimberly Jenkins Robinson Lucy Bassett Michael D. Williams Raymond C. Scheppach William Shobe (-) Craig Volden Facet People - News Center for Effective Lawmaking Miller Center Facet UVA Partner - News (-) Research and Commentary Facet News Type - News Oct 15, 2021 Why Do Bad Policies So Often Spread But Good Ones Don’t? Domestic Policy & Politics In their new book "Why bad policies spread (and good one’s don’t)," Batten's Craig Volden and Charles R. Shipan draw from a wide range of policy domains to examine whether states learn from another to improve the spread of good or effective policies, which policies spread for which reasons and which conditions lead to good or bad policies to spread, among other core questions. Read in Forbes Jun 07, 2021 Volden: Experienced Staff Promote Effective Lawmaking Political Science According to research from Batten's Center for Effective Lawmaking, retaining experienced legislative staff is crucial to Congress doing its job better. In an op-ed for The Hill, center co-directors Craig Volden and Alan E. Wiseman say that when it comes to congressional staff, we get what we pay for. Read in The Hill Mar 25, 2021 Volden: Committee Chairs Continue Their Lawmaking Decline Political Science Leadership Committee chairs have long been considered power brokers for lawmaking, but according to research from the Center for Effective Lawmaking, their lawmaking effectiveness is diminishing. In an op-ed for The Hill, Batten's Craig Volden and Vanderbilt University's Alan E. Wiseman write about the trend. Read in The Hill Dec 07, 2020 Focus on Cabinet Nominees' Effectiveness and Expertise, Not Just Ideology Political Science Leadership 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. Read In The Hill Nov 06, 2020 Batten Faculty Provide Commentary on Election Results Democracy Political Science In commentary compiled by the Miller Center, Batten Professors Jennifer Lawless, Margaret Foster Riley, Todd Sechser, and Craig Volden weigh in on the 2020 election, offering updates on the latest developments. Full Commentary from UVA's Miller Center Sep 12, 2019 Congress is back in town. Here’s why lawmakers will struggle to get much done. Leadership Research and Commentary Congress is back from its August recess, and lawmakers face public demands for action on issues as varied as health care, infrastructure, gun safety and trade. Legislators face at least one set of “must pass” agenda items: 12 spending bills that need to be enacted into law by Oct. 1 or the federal government will shut down. Read in The Washington Post Jun 10, 2015 Updating the Outdated: Craig Volden Seeks to Fix Research Model Errors Research and Commentary Research into public policy diffusion has exploded in the last 20 years. Scholars and thinkers have published hundreds of studies tracking the spread of policies from government to government. With countless dollars and thousands of hours invested, could it be that their studies are wrong? That’s what Batten School Professor Craig Volden seeks to find out. Learn more Jun 01, 2015 Volden and Wiseman’s Book Wins the APSA Kammerer Award Domestic Policy & Politics Democracy The American Political Science Association (APSA) recently announced that “Legislative Effectiveness in the United States Congress: The Lawmakers” by Craig Volden and Alan Wiseman won the prestigious Gladys M. Kammerer Award for best book on U.S. national policy. Learn more Stay Up To Date with the Latest Batten News and Events Subscribe
Oct 15, 2021 Why Do Bad Policies So Often Spread But Good Ones Don’t? Domestic Policy & Politics In their new book "Why bad policies spread (and good one’s don’t)," Batten's Craig Volden and Charles R. Shipan draw from a wide range of policy domains to examine whether states learn from another to improve the spread of good or effective policies, which policies spread for which reasons and which conditions lead to good or bad policies to spread, among other core questions. Read in Forbes
Jun 07, 2021 Volden: Experienced Staff Promote Effective Lawmaking Political Science According to research from Batten's Center for Effective Lawmaking, retaining experienced legislative staff is crucial to Congress doing its job better. In an op-ed for The Hill, center co-directors Craig Volden and Alan E. Wiseman say that when it comes to congressional staff, we get what we pay for. Read in The Hill
Mar 25, 2021 Volden: Committee Chairs Continue Their Lawmaking Decline Political Science Leadership Committee chairs have long been considered power brokers for lawmaking, but according to research from the Center for Effective Lawmaking, their lawmaking effectiveness is diminishing. In an op-ed for The Hill, Batten's Craig Volden and Vanderbilt University's Alan E. Wiseman write about the trend. Read in The Hill
Dec 07, 2020 Focus on Cabinet Nominees' Effectiveness and Expertise, Not Just Ideology Political Science Leadership 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. Read In The Hill
Nov 06, 2020 Batten Faculty Provide Commentary on Election Results Democracy Political Science In commentary compiled by the Miller Center, Batten Professors Jennifer Lawless, Margaret Foster Riley, Todd Sechser, and Craig Volden weigh in on the 2020 election, offering updates on the latest developments. Full Commentary from UVA's Miller Center
Sep 12, 2019 Congress is back in town. Here’s why lawmakers will struggle to get much done. Leadership Research and Commentary Congress is back from its August recess, and lawmakers face public demands for action on issues as varied as health care, infrastructure, gun safety and trade. Legislators face at least one set of “must pass” agenda items: 12 spending bills that need to be enacted into law by Oct. 1 or the federal government will shut down. Read in The Washington Post
Jun 10, 2015 Updating the Outdated: Craig Volden Seeks to Fix Research Model Errors Research and Commentary Research into public policy diffusion has exploded in the last 20 years. Scholars and thinkers have published hundreds of studies tracking the spread of policies from government to government. With countless dollars and thousands of hours invested, could it be that their studies are wrong? That’s what Batten School Professor Craig Volden seeks to find out. Learn more
Jun 01, 2015 Volden and Wiseman’s Book Wins the APSA Kammerer Award Domestic Policy & Politics Democracy The American Political Science Association (APSA) recently announced that “Legislative Effectiveness in the United States Congress: The Lawmakers” by Craig Volden and Alan Wiseman won the prestigious Gladys M. Kammerer Award for best book on U.S. national policy. Learn more