Congressman French Hill (R-AK2) has a unique background. Not only is the Representative a businessman, Vanderbilt alumnus, and graduate from UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management, Congressman Hill also has significant experience as a former staffer on Capitol Hill. Representative Hill served as an aide to Republican Senator John Tower; was a staffer on the Senate Banking then the Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; served as executive secretary to President George H. W. Bush’s Economic Policy Council; and was Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Corporate Finance. Professors Craig Volden (UVA) and Alan E. Wiseman (Vanderbilt University), Co-Directors of the Center for Effective Lawmaking, ask Representative Hill to share his thoughts on how his unique background has helped him as an effective lawmaker. Learn more at thelawmakers.org Transcripts available at https://thelawmakers.org/conversations-with-lawmakers/discussing-legislative-effectiveness-with-representative-french-hill
Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA7) spent her freshman term in Congress on a variety of high profile initiatives. In this conversation with Professors Craig Volden (UVA) and Alan E. Wiseman (Vanderbilt University), Co-Directors of the Center for Effective Lawmaking, Representative Spanberger shares valuable insights into what it takes to be an effective lawmaker in Congress. Join us as the Congresswoman answers questions on how she approaches her job, such as how she seeks to build bipartisan coalitions, how a legislator tries to cultivate a policy agenda that reflects her priorities, and her best advice to students who are beginning to think of their years after graduation. Learn more at https://thelawmakers.org/ Transcripts available at https://thelawmakers.org
October 20, 2020 Congressman Don Young (R-AK) was elected as the representative for Alaska's at-large district in 1973. His decades of service since have given him a wealth of experience navigating Capitol Hill, as well as a unique perspective of changes to the legislative institution through time. As one of our all-time highest ranking lawmakers for legislative effectiveness, Professors Craig Volden (UVA) and Alan E. Wiseman (Vanderbilt University), Co-Directors of the Center for Effective Lawmaking, ask Representative Young to share his thoughts and stories on how to be an effective lawmaker. Learn more at https://thelawmakers.org/ Transcripts available at https://thelawmakers.org
The Center for Effective Lawmaking, along with Batten Women in Policy, hosted a discussion about the role and importance of women in legislatures. The CEL has ground-breaking research finding that congresswomen tend to build coalitions more regularly than their male counterparts. This results in minority-party women being some of the highest scoring legislators when it comes to effectiveness. But, this principle does not apply equally to all congresswoman, nor for their proposals in some important policy areas. Watch as Professor Craig Volden presents what studies have shown and answers questions about the implications of his findings.
The Center for Effective Lawmaking has spent years researching how to measure the effectiveness of lawmakers, and what makes some lawmakers more successful at getting things done than others. In this first podcast, Co-Director Craig Volden explains what the Legislative Effectiveness Score is, what the CEL is doing to promote effective lawmaking across the nation, and some of our more surprising findings.