Reforming Congress, A Conversation with Sunwater Institute

The Center for Effective Lawmaking’s Co-Directors, Professor Craig Volden and Professor Alan E. Wiseman, had the opportunity to engage in an in-depth conversation with Matthew Chervenak, Founder & President of the Sunwater Institute, about Congressional reform and what concerns and recommendations we can identify based on the research at the CEL.

In a two-part video series, now available online, the dialogue touches on everything from what motivated the CEL Co-Directors to bring rigorous data analysis on lawmaking effectiveness to the field of political science to what fundamental institutional improvements should be made to Congress today.

Chervenak also asks probing questions on what “congressional representation” means as well as how debate and deliberation in Congress should be structured. These questions are fundamental to lawmaking effectiveness, and Volden and Wiseman offer thought-provoking insights based on their years of contemplating these ideas.

The Sunwater Institute is a nonpartisan, non-profit institute founded to foster the creation, discussion, and implementation of fundamental ideas that advance liberty, knowledge, opportunity, and power for individuals and society. Sunwater’s vision is a society, founded on the principles of individual liberty, striving toward its maximum potential. For more information, visit https://www.sunwater.org.