Conference – Center for Effective Lawmaking

Advancing the Study of Effective Lawmaking: Highlights from CEL’s 7th Annual Research Conference

Group photo in the Commons Center (photo by Anne Rayner) Advancing the Study of Effective Lawmaking: Highlights from CEL’s 7th Annual Research Conference Nashville, TN – On Monday, June 2nd, 2025, the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) hosted its 7th annual research conference at Vanderbilt University. The conference brought together researchers and practitioners from around the country to share their latest research findings and to discuss trends in effective lawmaking in congress and state legislatures. The morning opened with remarks from CEL co-director Alan Wiseman, Associate Provost of Strategic Projects…

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June 11, 2025

About the CEL / Center Affiliates / Conference / Events / Faculty Affiliates / Legislative Anaylsis / Legislative Research

Recognizing Innovation in Legislative Research: 2025 Best Publication on Effective Lawmaking Award

Max Goplerud (R) being presented with the CEL’s Best Publication award by co-director Craig Volden (L) (Photo by Anne Rayner). Recognizing Innovation in Legislative Research: 2025 Best Publication on Effective Lawmaking Award The Center for Effective Lawmaking is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Award for Best Publication on Effective Lawmaking, which was presented at our Seventh Annual Research Conference held at Vanderbilt University on Monday, June 2, 2025. This year’s award honors Fang-Yi Chiou (Academia Sinica) and Max Goplerud (University of Texas–Austin) for their article, “Effective Lawmaking…

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June 11, 2025

Blog / Conference / Events / State Legislatures

Advancing Our Understanding of State Legislative Effectiveness

Advancing Our Understanding of State Legislative Effectiveness Thursday, February 27th, 2025 On Friday, February 21st, the Center for Effective Lawmaking hosted the Effective Lawmaking in American State Legislatures conference at Vanderbilt University, bringing together faculty and doctoral students from across the country to explore the complexities of policymaking at the state level. With attendees presenting and discussing their latest findings, the event served as an important platform for advancing our understanding of what drives legislative success in state governments. Reflecting on the broader mission of the Center for Effective Lawmaking,…

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February 27, 2025

Conference / Events / Legislative Anaylsis / Legislative Research / State Legislatures

CEL at the Legislative Leadership Program

CEL at the Legislative Leadership Program Monday, February 3, 2025Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) Co-Director Alan Wiseman recently presented at Michigan State University’s Legislative Leadership Program (LLP). Residing under the Michigan State University’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research College of Social Science (IPPSR) since its 1994 inception, the LLP invites new members of Michigan’s House of Representatives and Senate to engage in interactive small-group sessions with university faculty in the brief time between their election and their first legislative sessions. The program is built upon a series of…

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January 31, 2025

Conference / Events / Legislative Anaylsis / Legislative Research

CEL at POLE Project Conference

CEL at POLE Project Conference Last week, Vanderbilt University Professor and Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) co-director Alan Wiseman was a presenter and panelist at the conference of the Patterns of Legislative Effectiveness (POLE) Project, which took place on October 28 and 29, 2024 at ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon in Lisbon, Portugal.POLE is a comparative study of legislators’ activities and performances in parliamentary systems. This research project sets as its main goal to unravel the complexities surrounding the behavior of MPs in parliamentary systems, shedding light on how…

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November 8, 2024

Conference / Events / Legislative Anaylsis / Legislative Research

CEL at APSA

CEL at APSA On Friday, September 6, the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) held a panel at the annual American Political Science Association (APSA) conference in Philadelphia titled “Effective Lawmaking and Compromise in Congress and the States”. Chaired by CEL Co-director Craig Volden of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia, and with CEL Affiliate Sean Theriault of the University of Texas and CEL Co-director Alan Wiseman of Vanderbilt University acting as discussants, the panel featured political scientists who showcased their original research…

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September 10, 2024

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The CEL’s 2024 Award for Best Publication on Effective Lawmaking

Ju Yeon “Julia” Park (r) being presented with the CEL’s Best Publication award by co-director Craig Volden (l) (Photo by Jenna Huber, Batten School). The CEL's 2024 Award for Best Publication on Effective Lawmaking The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) was pleased to announce the recipient of the 2024 Award for the Best Publication on Effective Lawmaking at our Sixth Annual Research Conference, at the University of Virginia on Monday, June 10, 2024. The recipients of this year’s award are Pamela Ban (UC San Diego), Ju Yeon “Julia” Park (The Ohio…

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June 18, 2024

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Inside the 6th Annual Research Conference at the Center for Effective Lawmaking

Group photo outside the UVA Rotunda (Photo by Jenna Huber, Batten School). Inside the 6th Annual Research Conference at the Center for Effective Lawmaking The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) hosted its Sixth Annual Research Conference on Monday, June 10, 2024 at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville, VA. Nearly 40 attendees from a wide range of research institutions and organizations came from across the country to discuss and evaluate the ideas connected with effective lawmaking, specifically the three main research areas of the CEL: identification of the characteristics of those…

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June 17, 2024

Conference / Legislative Anaylsis / Legislative Research

The CEL’s 2023 Award for Best Publication on Effective Lawmaking

The CEL's 2023 Award for Best Publication on Effective Lawmaking The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) was excited to announce the recipient of the 2023 Award for the Best Publication on Effective Lawmaking at our Fifth Annual Research Conference, at Vanderbilt University on June 5, 2023. The recipient of this year’s award is Todd Makse of Florida International University, for his 2022 article in Political Research Quarterly titled “Instant Credibility: The Conditional Role of Professional Background in Policymaking Success.”In this work, Makse posits the hypothesis that lawmakers can gain credibility…

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June 15, 2023

Conference / Events / Faculty Affiliates

Inside the 5th Annual Research Conference at the Center for Effective Lawmaking

Inside the 5th Annual Research Conference at the Center for Effective Lawmaking The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) hosted its Fifth Annual Research Conference on June 5, 2023 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Over 40 attendees from a wide range of research institutions and organizations come from across the country to discuss and evaluate the ideas connected with effective lawmaking, specifically the three main research areas of the CEL: identification of the characteristics of those who would likely become effective lawmakers once elected; cultivation of effective lawmakers and institutional…

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June 14, 2023