Center for Effective Lawmaking

Checks, Balances, and Presidential Ambitions

Checks, Balances, and Presidential Ambitions Do legislators with presidential ambitions neglect Congress in pursuit of higher office, or can those ambitions actually strengthen their role within the legislature? In this Quarterly Journal of Political Science article, Christian Fong (Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University and Center for Effective Lawmaking Faculty Affiliate), Kenneth Lowande (Associate Professor at Rice University), and Ayse Eldes (Affiliate of the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics at Princeton University) examine how running for president relates to members’ participation in the core legislative functions that shape Congress’s…

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Bipartisan Political Brands

Bipartisan Political Brands Wednesday, September 30, 2026 Can efforts to cultivate a bipartisan political brand meaningfully shape how lawmakers are perceived, or are such signals dismissed in an increasingly polarized political environment? In this Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) working paper, Faculty Affiliate Andrew J. Clarke, an associate professor of Government and Law at Lafayette College, and Christopher M. Byrnes, a Lafayette College alum, examine whether affiliation with the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus can influence perceptions of legislators’ ideology. Through a descriptive analysis of newly collected Problem Solvers Caucus membership…

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Policy Agendas, Effective Lawmaking, and Women’s Issues in State Legislatures
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Policy Agendas, Effective Lawmaking, and Women’s Issues in State Legislatures

Policy Agendas, Effective Lawmaking, and Women’s Issues in State Legislatures Tuesday, August 4, 2026 State legislatures introduce roughly 100,000 bills a year, far outpacing Congress, yet scholars have long lacked a reliable way to sort that volume into policy areas, making it hard to ask basic questions about which issues get attention, which stall, and who succeeds where. In this Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) working paper, the authors take on that challenge directly. It was written by Andrew M.O. Ballard, Associate Professor at Florida State University (and CEL Faculty…

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Announcing the Release of the 2023-2024 Kentucky Legislative Session, 94th Arkansas General Assembly, and the 59th Oklahoma Legislature Legislative Session State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 2023-2024 Kentucky Legislative Session, 94th Arkansas General Assembly, and the 59th Oklahoma Legislature Legislative Session 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 59th Oklahoma Legislature (2023-2024), the 2023-2024 Kentucky General Assembly, and the 94th Arkansas General Assembly (2023-2024) legislative sessions. 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…

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Announcing the Release of the 113th Tennessee General Assembly State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 113th Tennessee 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 113th Tennessee General Assembly (2023-2024) legislative session. 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…

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Announcing the Release of the 68th North Dakota Legislative Assembly (2023-2024) and the 2023-2024 Rhode Island General Assembly Legislative Sessions State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 68th North Dakota Legislative Assembly (2023-2024) and the 2023-2024 Rhode Island General Assembly Legislative Sessions 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 68th North Dakota Legislative Assembly (2023-2024) and the 2023-2024 Rhode Island General Assembly legislative sessions. 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…

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Announcing the Release of the 56th Arizona Legislature (2023-2024), the 2023-2024 Idaho Legislature, and the 2023-2024 Vermont Legislature Legislative Sessions State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 56th Arizona Legislature (2023-2024), the 2023-2024 Idaho Legislature, and the 2023-2024 Vermont Legislature Legislative Sessions 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 56th Arizona Legislature (2023-2024), the 2023-2024 Idaho Legislature, and the 2023-2024 Vermont Legislature legislative sessions. 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…

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Announcing the Release of the 123rd Indiana General Assembly and the 102nd Michigan Legislature State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES) 

Announcing the Release of the 123rd Indiana General Assembly and the 102nd Michigan Legislature 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 123rd Indiana General Assembly and the 102nd Michigan Legislature legislative sessions (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,…

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Announcing the Release of the 74th Colorado General Assembly, the 2023-2024 Hawai‘i State Legislature, and the 152nd Delaware General Assembly State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES) 

Announcing the Release of the 74th Colorado General Assembly, the 2023-2024 Hawai‘i State Legislature, and the 152nd Delaware 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 74th Colorado General Assembly, the 2023-2024 Hawai‘i State legislative session, and the 152nd Delaware General Assembly. 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…

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Announcing the Release of the 90th Iowa General Assembly, the 2023-2024 Florida State Legislature, and the 2023-2024 Connecticut State Legislature State Legislative Effectiveness Scores (SLES)

Announcing the Release of the 90th Iowa General Assembly, the 2023-2024 Florida State Legislature, and the 2023-2024 Connecticut State Legislature 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 90th Iowa General Assembly, the 2023-2024 Florida State legislative session, and the 2023-2024 Connecticut State legislative session. 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…

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