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Research

A core component of the Foundation's educational programs and publications is its commitment to understanding what legislative leaders think and believe, what they do and how they do it. To achieve this objective, we engage in a variety of research endeavors in three discrete areas: leadership surveys, case studies, and grant-funded research.

Survey Research
The SLLF's survey research is geared to assessing legislative leaders' attitudes and opinions on a wide range of issues primarily concerned with the duties and responsibilities of state legislative leadership. Recent surveys have explored the effects of term limits on institutional power and career paths, attitudes on modern campaign practices and welfare reform, and leadership activity in national organizations. Survey findings have been shared with all state legislative leaders and are also used in planning future educational programs and research studies. Analyses of the findings have also been published in a variety of applied and academic journals, including State and Local Government Review, Gender and Politics, and SPECTRUM: The Journal of State Governments.

For more information, contact Thom Little at (336) 856-0623 or at sllfthom@aol.com.

Grant-funded Research
In the area of grant-funded research, the SLLF's work centers primarily on contemporary social issues where state legislative leaders play a crucial role. Two recent studies have dealt with children and families at risk (funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and The Ford Foundation), and welfare reform (the David and Lucile Packard and Annie E. Casey Foundations). In a joint undertaking with the National Conference of State Legislatures, the SLLF commissioned and published a report authored by Professor Alan Rosenthal of Rutgers University. The report focuses on helping America's state legislatures deal with ethical problems that confront them today and will confront them in the years ahead. Future research projects will focus on the effects of term limits, the politics of environmental policy formulation and strengthening the image of the modern state legislature.

For copies of two earlier reports - Welfare Reform Report and Keys to Effective Legislation for Children and Families contact Debbie Buckler at (508) 771-3821 or sllfdeb@capecod.net.

Keys to Effective Legislation for Children and Families (PDF)
For more information on Grant Funded Research, contact Thom Little at (336) 856-0623 or at sllfthom@aol.com.





Calendar

August 18 - 22

Transatlantic Leadership Forum
Dublin, Ireland

Sept. 30 - Oct. 3, 2010

SLLF Leadership Summit
Democracy 2.0: 
Connecting with the 21st Century American 
University of Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts

December 3 - 5, 2010

SLLF Board Meeting /
Leadership Forum
(SLLF Directors and Advisory Council members)
Las Vegas, Nevada

January 13 - 16, 2011

New Speakers Orientation

March 31 - April 3, 2011

SLLF Issues Summit
UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina

June 23 - 26, 2011

SLLF Leadership Summit
Notre Dame University
South Bend, Indiana