Alan E. Wiseman
Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair and Professor of Political Science and Law, Vanderbilt University
Chapter Member: Tennessee SSN
Areas of Expertise:
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About Alan
Wiseman’s research agenda addresses the impact of political institutions on political actors’ behavior and strategies, focusing substantively on legislative, electoral, and bureaucratic and regulatory politics in the United States. One specific area of research includes the study of the characteristics of effective policymakers: who are the most effective members of Congress, why, and with what effects? Wiseman also studies the politics and economics of alcohol regulation and interstate commerce: what are the likely consequences of changing existing regulatory regimes for alcohol sales and distribution, and what standards might the courts employ in evaluating the likely effects of proposed changes?
Contributions
Who are the Most Effective Lawmakers in Congress?
Key Findings Brief,
In the News
Opinion: "Workhorses, Not Show Horses: Five Ways To Promote Effective Lawmaking in Congress," Alan E. Wiseman (with ), The Conversation, August 29, 2022.
Opinion: "How the Record Number of Female Lawmakers Will — and Won’t — Change Congress," Alan E. Wiseman (with ), The Washington Post, January 23, 2019.
Opinion: "Senators Used to Excel at Lawmaking. Now, Not So Much. Here’s What Needs to Change.," Alan E. Wiseman (with ), The Washington Post, June 30, 2017.
Opinion: "Does Bipartisanship Even Work in Today’s Polarized Congress? Yes.," Alan E. Wiseman (with ), The Washington Post, January 3, 2017.
Quoted by Matthew Yglesias in "A Hillary Clinton Presidency Will Greatly Boost Women's Representation in Politics, with Big Policy Consequences," Vox, June 6, 2016.
Guest on Virginia Public Radio, February 1, 2016.
Opinion: "These are the 10 Most Effective Lawmakers in the U.S. Congress," Alan E. Wiseman (with ), The Washington Post, December 28, 2015.
Research discussed by , in "Young, Credited with Effectiveness, Says Personality is Part of his M.O.," Alaska Public Media, January 12, 2015.
Research discussed by , in "Effective Lawmakers Re-Elected to the 114th Congress," Vanderbilt Research News, November 5, 2014.
Guest on WVTF Public Radio, October 23, 2014.
Research discussed by , in "Long Lags behind Hartzler, Other Congressional Peers on Legislative Effectiveness," Springfield News-Leader, October 19, 2014.
Research discussed by , in "How Effective is Your Member of Congress? Scholars Create a Effectiveness Score," UVA Today, October 14, 2014.
Opinion: "On Average, Women in Congress are More Effective Lawmakers Than Men," Alan E. Wiseman (with ), London School of Economics Blog, September 20, 2013.
Research discussed by , in "When are Women More Effective Lawmakers Than Men?," New York Times, March 22, 2013.
Opinion: "Ohio’s Direct Shipping Law: New Regulations Still Discriminate, and Price Competition May Result," Alan E. Wiseman (with ), Wines & Vines, December 2007.
Publications
"Price Effects and the Commerce Clause: The Case of State Wine Shipping Laws" (with ). Journal of Empirical Legal Studies 10, no. 2 (2013): 196-229.
Analyzes the economic impacts of a body of laws governing interstate shipment of wine that were passed in the wake of Granholm v. Heald (2005) and demonstrates how analysis of price effects might be employed by the courts to assess the discriminatory impact of different state laws in Commerce Clause challenges.
"When are Women More Effective Lawmakers Than Men?" (with ). American Journal of Political Science 57, no. 2 (2013): 326-341.
Measures the legislative effectiveness of members of Congress and determines that women are more effective than men on average, particularly because in the minority party women are more likely to reach across party lines and continue to push their policy agendas.
"Legislative Effectiveness and Representation in Congress" (with ), in Congress Reconsidered, 10th Edition, edited by Lawrence C. Dodd and Bruce I. Oppenheimer (CQ Press, 2012), 237-264.
Develops a method for measuring the legislative effectiveness of Members of Congress, and identifies the tradeoffs that legislators exhibit between electoral security and lawmaking. The most and least electorally secure Members of Congress are generally less effective at advancing their bills through the legislative process, while those Members with a stable basis of electoral security are among the most effective legislators.
"Delegation and Positive-Sum Bureaucracies" Journal of Politics 71, no. 3 (2009): 998-1014.
Develops a theoretical model to assess the impacts of executive clearance, such as that performed by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the Office of Management and Budget on contemporary lawmaking and rulemaking processes. A main finding of my analysis is that under certain circumstances, the institution of executive clearance can be jointly beneficial to both the executive and legislative branches of government, which has implications for enhancing democratic responsiveness of the federal government.
"The Politics of Wine: Trade Barriers, Interest Groups and the Commerce Clause" (with ). Journal of Politics 69, no. 3 (2007): 859-875.
Takes advantage of changes in Virginia’s laws for the interstate direct shipment of wine between 2002-2003 to assess the contemporary economic effects of the commerce clause. Our analysis demonstrates that, consistent with the intention of the founding fathers, the commerce clause ensures that states do no erect barriers to interstate commerce which would raise the costs of commercial activity.