Why Do Bad Policies So Often Spread But Good Ones Don’t? News 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.
Faculty Spotlight: Improving the Way We Make Laws, with Science News Batten Professor Craig Volden no longer designs spacecraft—instead, he’s engineering a metric to combat political gridlock.
Volden: Experienced Staff Promote Effective Lawmaking News 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.
Volden: Committee Chairs Continue Their Lawmaking Decline News 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.
Batten Hour: “Highlights from the New 116th Congress Legislative Effectiveness Scores,” with Craig Volden and Gerry Warburg Event Join Batten's Craig Volden, professor of public policy and politics and director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL), and Gerry Warburg, professor of practice of public policy, for a conversation on the CEL’s recently-released legislative effectiveness scores for the 116th Congress.
The “Do-Something” Members of the 116th Congress: Legislative Effectiveness Study from the Batten School and Vanderbilt University Identifies Member Success in Advancing Bills News Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., along with Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and retired Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., were the most effective Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the recently completed 116th Congress (2019–20), according to new research from Batten's Center for Effective Lawmaking.
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.
The Future of Congressional Reform; hosted by the Center for Effective Lawmaking and featuring Representative Derek Kilmer Event Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA06) will speak about and answer questions regarding his work as the Chair of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress.
Batten Faculty Provide Commentary on Election Results News 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.
Women in Politics: Past, Present, and Future Event From Abigail Adams to suffragists to presidential tickets, women have played consequential roles in American politics as voters, activists, candidates, and officeholders. This panel will examine how women have influenced and been affected by politics, law, and public policy.
Members of Congress are Specializing Less Often. Volden and Wiseman Say That Makes Them Less Effective. News Batten’s Craig Volden and Vanderbilt’s Alan Wiseman, co-directors of the Center for Effective Lawmaking, find that members of Congress are becoming less specialized and in turn, less effective. How do we encourage more expertise and reverse the trend?