Women Rule!
Politico has the scoop on a new study coming out of Stanford and the University of Chicago showing that in general, women lawmakers are better legislators than their male counterparts. Effectiveness was judged by the number of bills introduced, the number of co-sponsors for those bills (probably an indication of the popularity of the bill) and the amount of money obtained for their home districts.
“You could easily make the argument that a politician who is on his way out, or someone who is sitting on a really powerful committee, is in a different position than someone just coming into office,” said Stanford researcher Sarah Anzia. “Not every example will cover every alternative explanation, but we control for all of those factors in the study.”
The researchers also found that women introduced more legislation than men who served in their same districts, often hitting the ground running in their first terms.
“We find that, on average, women sponsor about three bills more per Congress per term than their male counterparts,” said Anzia. “They co-sponsor more bills than other members, and they also obtain more co-sponsors for their own bills.”
The researchers mention that part of the reason could be that the lower number of women serving in office selects for more effective candidates. I know that women are much less likely to run for office, although they are just as likely to win as men are. Perhaps if we get more women in office, we’ll have more effective legislatures. This gives me an excuse to point you to this excellent organization called She Should Run. It’s an organization to help recruit and encourage women to run for office. If you know a woman who you think would be a great politician, put her name in to this organization and they will contact her.
Tags: feminism, Women Issues
This comment is intentionally blank, as I was going to make a joke (or two) that would have not only drawn UI’s scorn, but probably cost me a few nights on the couch.
Carry on.
I think you’re learning, lg.
Punishment apparently works.
U.S. factories made more cars, clothing and other goods than expected in August, and inflation remained in check in the early stages of a broad economic recovery.
The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that output at the nation’s factories, mines and utilities rose 0.8 percent in August. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected a 0.6 percent increase.
The Labor Department reported that the so-called “core” Consumer Price Index, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose slightly over the 12 months ending in August, but is well within the Fed’s comfort zone. That means the central bank faces little pressure to raise its benchmark interest rate, a step it takes to ward off high inflation.
Stocks are rising (again today) in the early moments of trading a day after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said the recession was likely over, due in large part to decisive government monetary action.
Thank you Barrack and Joe!
Of course, this whole measurement presumes that “introducing more legislation” makes one a better legislator. I’d argue it does not necessarily do so, because that doesn’t focus at all no the quality of the legislation. It is the quantity v. quality issue. And personally, I’d rather have a legislator who would lead the opposition to BAD legislation and work to keep it from getting passed.
Ditto the amount of money — is more money for the district NECESSARILY a good thing. Is it needed money, or just pork barrel spending that helps out campaign contributors (see John Murtha for a male example of this, or the infamous “bridge to nowhere)? Again, it comes back to the question “is more necessarily better?”
So more pork back home is good gov’t…unbelievable
“So more pork back home is good gov’t…unbelievable”
Unbelievable? It’s been the standard by which yokels have judged CongressCritters since, at the latest, the 1830s. Read what folks had to say about the spoils system then. Remember how much time a president spent simply listening to a parade of people who were “petitioning the government,” mostly for a job. It might sound like a gimungus pain in the ass today, but it beats the K Street system … don’t it?
So the standard for being a “good legislator” is based on the sheer quantity of laws you push through.
Sounds like a perfect liberal definition. If you’re a libertarian not so much…