Center For Effective Lawmaking

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, a joint initiative between Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia. Read More

Join the Center for Effective Lawmaking for a roundtable discussion touching on questions of race, representation and policymaking in the contemporary Congress. The event will be Thursday, March 31, at 6 p.m. CT at the Student Life Center Commodore Ballroom. Read More

Former Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist shared examples from his time in political office and gave advice on what could help current lawmakers work toward compromise in a recent panel discussion on effective lawmaking. Read More

A panel of experts led by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will discuss “The Keys to Effective Lawmaking in Turbulent Times” on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 12:30 p.m. CT. The virtual discussion hosted by the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy is free and open to the public. Read More

Legislative effectiveness scores are at the core of the research conducted at the Center for Effective Lawmaking, co-directed by Vanderbilt‘s Alan Wiseman. 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, according to new research from the center. Read More

A panel of Vanderbilt political science faculty explored the factors that led to the Jan. 6 riot in a virtual event, “Dissent, Disorder and Democracy: What Led to the U.S. Capitol Insurrection.” Hosted by the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, the panel also engaged with the event’s serious implications for the strength of the nation's democracy. Read More

Political scientist Kira Sanbonmatsu will discuss “A Seat at the Table: Do Women in Congress Matter?” at 6 p.m. Oct. 3 at the John Seigenthaler First Amendment Center. Read More

The Chancellor's Lecture Series is partnering with The Center for Effective Lawmaking to bring former congressman Barney Frank and journalist Bob Kaiser to campus for an in-depth discussion about the U.S. legislative process on Wednesday, April 10. Read More