Congress

A measure of the legislative effectiveness of almost any member of the U.S. House of Representatives is easily available with the launch of a new website and upcoming book co-authored by Vanderbilt political scientist Alan Wiseman. Read More

When Congress gets too many hands on an issue, its influence actually decreases, researchers from the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions at Vanderbilt University found. Read More

Vanderbilt University law professor Rebecca Haw told a U.S. House subcommittee that the power of state licensing boards should be trimmed to the point where competition can again take hold. Read More

Researchers analyzed data from the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) used by the George W. Bush administration to grade the effectiveness of federal programs. Read More

Vanderbilt professor Marcy Singer-Gabella and other education leaders traveled to the nation’s capital Feb. 27 to testify before Congress about what is needed to train and retain the nation's top teachers. Read More

The latest Vanderbilt Poll results are in, with registered voters in Tennessee giving their opinions on Medicaid expansion and other issues. Read More

Although the NSA may not conduct queries or examine content unless it or a court determines that “national security” is at stake, national security is apparently at stake quite often, if the recent reports about monitoring hundreds of thousands of foreigners’ calls as well as the calls of foreign leaders are true, writes Christopher Slobogin, Milton R. Underwood Professor of Law. Read More

Alan Wiseman's research shows that women lawmakers, particularly ones in the minority party, are more effective than their male counterparts when it comes to negotiating and getting things done--as they did to end the government shutdown. Read More

Policymakers in Washington, D.C., increasingly are earning the distrust of the American people, and the current impasse that led to a government shutdown is no exception, according to Marc Hetherington, a political science professor and author of two books on trust and polarization in American government. Read More

Political scientist Bruce Oppenheimer is available to talk about the government shutdown. Read More

One of the nation’s top scholars on constitutional law, Vanderbilt law school professor Suzanna Sherry, the Herman O. Loewenstein Professor of Law, explains why she thinks the Supreme Court successfully followed the law. Read More

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos and other state leaders met with members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., to urge support for sustained federal investments in science and engineering research. Read More

Congress is taking up the debate over comprehensive immigration reform yet again. Vanderbilt has a diverse array of experts researching various aspects of the immigration debate. Read More

The latest Vanderbilt Poll shows that Tennesseans strongly support charter schools while their feelings about school vouchers are more divided. Read More

Daniel Gervais of Vanderbilt Law School told Congress that the copyright system of the United States requires “a comprehensive review and modernization" during testimony May 16. Read More

As part of Vanderbilt’s ongoing federal advocacy efforts in support of federal funding for research and education at the National Science Foundation, Sharon Weiss, associate professor of electrical engineering and physics, traveled to Washington, D.C., for the Coalition for National Science Funding’s (CNSF) advocacy day and Capitol Hill reception on May 7. Read More

Whether politicians and the press seem like friend or foe, elected officials regularly use news outlets to share and defend their views to the public. New research from Vanderbilt University finds certain media actually influenced the voting behavior of politicians. Read More

School of Engineering Dean Philippe Fauchet emphasized the importance of federal research investment to members of Tennessee's congressional delegation while he was in Washington, D.C., for the annual American Society of Engineering Education conference. Read More

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos spent Feb. 12 and 13 in Washington, D.C., meeting with congressional leaders and making the case for federal investments in science and engineering research and education. Read More

This week on VUCast: Find out which gender is better at getting things done in D.C.; a new partnership brings Vanderbilt experts to you; and the story behind the song that is captivating the world. Read More