About News News Subscribe International and Global Affairs Political Science Humanitarian Policy Domestic Policy & Politics Democracy Leadership Education Global Politics & International Relations International Development Ethics Health Policy Immigration Migration Advocacy Racial Justice and Equity Social Equity Facet Area of Focus - News Craig Volden Kirsten Gelsdorf Lucy Bassett David Leblang Gerald Warburg Abigail Scholer Brooke Ray Ian H. Solomon Jennifer Lawless Facet People - News National Security Policy Center EdPolicyWorks: Center for Education Policy and Workforce Competitiveness UVA Center for Politics Karsh Institute of Democracy Miller Center Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service School of Education and Human Development School of Law School of Nursing Social Innovation @ UVA Center for Social Innovation Darden School of Business Department of Economics School Engineering College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences McIntire School of Commerce School of Medicine (-) Center for Effective Lawmaking (-) UVA Humanitarian Collaborative Facet UVA Partner - News Research and Commentary Faculty In Action Alum in Action Racial Justice and Equity Accolades Featured Research Facet News Type - News May 14, 2025 UVA Batten Students Team Up with Alumnus at the World Bank Two UVA Batten MPP students who are graduating this week had the opportunity to collaborate with alumnus Cameron Haddad (MPP '19) this semester on a project for the World Bank, providing them hands-on experience in policy work. As a student, Haddad worked on a World Bank project with professor Lucy Bassett, who connected the three in February. Learn more Mar 26, 2025 Legislative Effectiveness Scores for 118th Congress Highlight The Keys to Successful Lawmaking In its 5th biennial report on the effectiveness of U.S. senators and representatives, the Center for Effective Lawmaking found that despite deep political and procedural disruptions, the 118th Congress passed hundreds of laws. It also noted that the exit of some of the highest-scoring members may strain the lawmaking capacity of Congress in the years ahead. Learn more Dec 02, 2024 Two Alumnae Get Real-World Experience in Humanitarian Policy Two recent UVA Batten graduates had a rare opportunity last summer to support one of the country’s leading organizations working on global hunger. Sadie Rogerson and Emma Nardone were selected to participate — with full funding — in a pilot of the UVA Batten Humanitarian Collaborative Fellowship program. Learn more Nov 06, 2024 Center for Effective Lawmaking: 2024 Annual Report The Center for Effective Lawmaking is marking an extremely successful year with the release of its annual report. Founded in 2017 as a joint venture between UVA Batten and Vanderbilt University, the center’s trusted methodology and analyses have been cited in hundreds of news articles across the U.S., and widely used by lawmakers and their staffs. Learn more Jun 10, 2024 How Effective are America’s State Legislators? Domestic Policy & Politics Political Science The Center for Effective Lawmaking has compiled a massive database to measure the effectiveness of nearly every state legislator in the U.S. Based on the center's trusted methodology developed a decade ago to rank the effectiveness of members of Congress, the project is the first to collect this kind of data at the state level in a comprehensive fashion. Learn more Jun 06, 2024 Batten Hosts Back-to-Back Political Science Conferences Domestic Policy & Politics The UVA Batten School is excited to co-host the national State Politics and Policy Conference this weekend, bringing together some 140 political science researchers from across the country to share their recent findings on a wide range of topics. Immediately following, Batten hosts the annual conference of the Center for Effective Lawmaking, a joint project with Vanderbilt University. Learn more May 21, 2024 Inaugural Batten Humanitarian Collaborative Fellows Named Two graduating BA’s, Emma Nardone and Sadie Rogerson, have been selected as Batten Humanitarian Collaborative Fellows for 2024. Nardone and Rogerson will work with the World Food Program USA public policy team doing analysis and advocacy with members of Congress in support of the United Nations World Food Program’s humanitarian work around the world. Learn more Apr 11, 2024 Compassion in Action: Contemplative Science and Practice in the Classroom and the World In March 2024, Batten School Dean Ian Solomon and professors Kirsten Gelsdorf and Abigail Scholer joined dozens of scholars and others from around the world in Dharamsala, India, to meet with the Dalai Lama and explore ways to bring contemplative science and practice into teaching, research, policymaking and leadership in all sectors. Learn more Feb 11, 2024 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. Learn more Sep 27, 2023 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 the blog Jul 25, 2023 Improving Expertise of Congressional Staff Domestic Policy & Politics 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. Learn more May 31, 2023 Bipartisanship the “secret sauce” for effective lawmaking, despite rising polarization in Congress Domestic Policy & Politics Democracy 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. Learn more Pagination Current page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Next page Next › Stay Up To Date with the Latest Batten News and Events Subscribe
May 14, 2025 UVA Batten Students Team Up with Alumnus at the World Bank Two UVA Batten MPP students who are graduating this week had the opportunity to collaborate with alumnus Cameron Haddad (MPP '19) this semester on a project for the World Bank, providing them hands-on experience in policy work. As a student, Haddad worked on a World Bank project with professor Lucy Bassett, who connected the three in February. Learn more
Mar 26, 2025 Legislative Effectiveness Scores for 118th Congress Highlight The Keys to Successful Lawmaking In its 5th biennial report on the effectiveness of U.S. senators and representatives, the Center for Effective Lawmaking found that despite deep political and procedural disruptions, the 118th Congress passed hundreds of laws. It also noted that the exit of some of the highest-scoring members may strain the lawmaking capacity of Congress in the years ahead. Learn more
Dec 02, 2024 Two Alumnae Get Real-World Experience in Humanitarian Policy Two recent UVA Batten graduates had a rare opportunity last summer to support one of the country’s leading organizations working on global hunger. Sadie Rogerson and Emma Nardone were selected to participate — with full funding — in a pilot of the UVA Batten Humanitarian Collaborative Fellowship program. Learn more
Nov 06, 2024 Center for Effective Lawmaking: 2024 Annual Report The Center for Effective Lawmaking is marking an extremely successful year with the release of its annual report. Founded in 2017 as a joint venture between UVA Batten and Vanderbilt University, the center’s trusted methodology and analyses have been cited in hundreds of news articles across the U.S., and widely used by lawmakers and their staffs. Learn more
Jun 10, 2024 How Effective are America’s State Legislators? Domestic Policy & Politics Political Science The Center for Effective Lawmaking has compiled a massive database to measure the effectiveness of nearly every state legislator in the U.S. Based on the center's trusted methodology developed a decade ago to rank the effectiveness of members of Congress, the project is the first to collect this kind of data at the state level in a comprehensive fashion. Learn more
Jun 06, 2024 Batten Hosts Back-to-Back Political Science Conferences Domestic Policy & Politics The UVA Batten School is excited to co-host the national State Politics and Policy Conference this weekend, bringing together some 140 political science researchers from across the country to share their recent findings on a wide range of topics. Immediately following, Batten hosts the annual conference of the Center for Effective Lawmaking, a joint project with Vanderbilt University. Learn more
May 21, 2024 Inaugural Batten Humanitarian Collaborative Fellows Named Two graduating BA’s, Emma Nardone and Sadie Rogerson, have been selected as Batten Humanitarian Collaborative Fellows for 2024. Nardone and Rogerson will work with the World Food Program USA public policy team doing analysis and advocacy with members of Congress in support of the United Nations World Food Program’s humanitarian work around the world. Learn more
Apr 11, 2024 Compassion in Action: Contemplative Science and Practice in the Classroom and the World In March 2024, Batten School Dean Ian Solomon and professors Kirsten Gelsdorf and Abigail Scholer joined dozens of scholars and others from around the world in Dharamsala, India, to meet with the Dalai Lama and explore ways to bring contemplative science and practice into teaching, research, policymaking and leadership in all sectors. Learn more
Feb 11, 2024 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. Learn more
Sep 27, 2023 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 the blog
Jul 25, 2023 Improving Expertise of Congressional Staff Domestic Policy & Politics 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. Learn more
May 31, 2023 Bipartisanship the “secret sauce” for effective lawmaking, despite rising polarization in Congress Domestic Policy & Politics Democracy 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. Learn more