Craig Volden

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

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

The new Center for Effective Lawmaking, which studies the causes and consequences of the legislative effectiveness of members of Congress, will be introduced in Washington on Tuesday, Sept. 26. The center is a joint effort by the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University. Read More

A database measuring the effectiveness of the House of Representatives will be expanded to the Senate, with the help of a $200,000 grant Read More

The American Political Science Association announced it will award a prestigious honor to a book on Congress co-written by Vanderbilt's Alan Wiseman. Read More

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

Research by Vanderbilt political science professor Alan Wiseman and his coauthors find women in Congress in the minority party are more effective than their male counterparts when it comes to introducing and negotiating bills, spurring action on those bills, and ultimately seeing them become law. Read More