Center for Effective Lawmaking

The (Sometimes Untraceable) Origins of Policy Ideas in Congress: An Analysis of Seven Landmark Laws

The (Sometimes Untraceable) Origins of Policy Ideas in Congress: An Analysis of Seven Landmark Laws Research on lawmaking suggests legislative enactments are constructed in various ways. Although multiple approaches are documented in the literature, political scientists do not conclusively know which are used more often. In this paper published in Legislative Studies Quarterly – which was supported by a small grant award from the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) – Jeremy Gelman, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Nevada, Reno, examines how laws are created by studying seven modern…

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Announcing the Release of the 207th Pennsylvania General Assembly State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 207th Pennsylvania General Assembly State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES) The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is proud to announce the release of our State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES) for the 207th Pennsylvania General Assembly (2023–2024). This initiative is part of our broader effort to measure the lawmaking effectiveness of individual legislators in all 99 state legislative chambers in the United States.These scores capture lawmaking effectiveness by tracking the number of bills legislators sponsor, how far those bills advance through the legislative process, and the substantive…

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CEL on CNN’s Smerconish

CEL on CNN's Smerconish Monday, September 29, 2025Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) Co-Director Alan Wiseman of Vanderbilt University was a guest on CNN’s Smerconish to discuss the published paper “On the Decline of Elite-Educated Republicans in Congress” and the educational divide in American politics. Professor Wiseman coauthored the paper with CEL Co-Director Craig Volden of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia and Associate Professor Jonathan Wai of the University of Arkansas, and it was published in the academic journal Perspectives on Politics.In the segment, Professor…

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Meet our Research Affiliate: Kisoo Kim

Meet our Research Affiliate: Kisoo Kim The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is excited to announce our newest research affiliate, Kisoo Kim.Dr. Kim is a postdoctoral research associate at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. His research examines how elections and political information hold representatives accountable in democratic systems. He uses econometric methods for causal inference to study how democratic institutions shape elected officials’ behavior, with a focus on legislators' policy positions and legislative productivity. He earned his Ph.D. from the Harris…

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Meet our Faculty Affiliate: SoRelle Gaynor

Meet our Faculty Affiliate: SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is pleased to announce SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor as one of our newest faculty affiliates.Dr. Gaynor is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the University of Virginia Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, where she specializes in the U.S. Congress and political institutions. Her research focuses on congressional leadership, institutional reform, and partisan communication, and has been published in the Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Electoral Studies, and other outlets. She is an author…

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Discussing Effective Lawmaking with Nevada Speaker Jason Frierson

Discussing Effective Lawmaking with Nevada Speaker Jason Frierson Speaker Jason Frierson has had an expansive career in public service, including his roles as a state legislator, a federal prosecutor, and as a committed advocate for community engagement.  A Democrat, Speaker Frierson served in the Nevada Assembly from 2011 to 2014 and again from 2016 to 2022, where he served as Speaker of the Assembly from 2017 to 2022. In 2022, Speaker Frierson was nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the United States…

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CEL on The Smerconish Podcast

CEL on The Smerconish Podcast Monday, September 15, 2025Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) Co-Director Alan Wiseman of Vanderbilt University was a recent guest on The Smerconish Podcast to talk with host Michael Smerconish about the published paper "On the Decline of Elite-Educated Republicans in Congress" and the educational divide in American politics. Professor Wiseman coauthored the paper with CEL Co-Director Craig Volden of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia and Associate Professor Jonathan Wai of the University of Arkansas, and it was…

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Meet our Faculty Affiliate: Steven Rogers

Meet our Faculty Affiliate: Steven Rogers The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is pleased to announce Steven Rogers as one of our newest faculty affiliates.Steven Rogers is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Saint Louis University. His research focuses on elections and representation in American politics, particularly at the state level. His recent book, Accountability in State Legislatures, argues that there is limited accountability in state legislative elections. Rogers’s research has also appeared in journals such as the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, and Legislative Studies Quarterly. He also…

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Meet our Faculty Affiliate: Tessa Provins

Meet our Faculty Affiliate: Tessa Provins Tuesday, September 9, 2025The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) is pleased to announce Tessa Provins as one of our newest faculty affiliates.Provins is an Assistant Professor in the School of Government and Public Policy at the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on American legislative institutions, with particular attention to how the design of legislative rules and procedures shapes lawmaking and representation. She examines how institutional features—including committee referral practices, debate rules, and party control of the agenda—affect the ability of legislatures to produce…

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Discussing Effective Lawmaking with South Carolina State Senator Katrina Shealy

Discussing Effective Lawmaking with South Carolina State Senator Katrina Shealy Senator Katrina Shealy has been a trailblazer in South Carolina politics, bringing both grit and compassion to her twelve years of service in the state Senate. First elected in 2012 as a petition candidate—making history as the only woman in the chamber at the time—she went on to become the first Republican woman to chair a standing committee in the Senate. Over the course of her tenure, Shealy shaped policy across a wide range of issues, from family and veterans’…

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