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Legislative Explorer: Data-Driven Discovery of Lawmaking

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 December 2014

Nicholas Stramp  and
John Wilkerson
Nicholas Stramp
Affiliation:
University of Washington
John Wilkerson
Affiliation:
University of Washington
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Abstract

Interactive visualizations are used widely in the natural sciences to facilitate discovery in “big-data” research. This article introduces a project that applies the same data-driven discovery approach to politics. Lawmaking is a complex process that can be difficult to convey in a constructive way, whether the audience is the general public, students, or researchers. Legislative Explorer (available at http://www.legex.org) visualizes the progress of more than 250,000 congressional bills and resolutions introduced since 1973. Users of all abilities can engage with actual data to discover how bills become law. Filters designed by domain experts guide them toward key insights. It is our hope that Legislative Explorer promotes greater understanding of a much-maligned institution.

Type
Features
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 48 , Issue 1 , January 2015 , pp. 115 - 119
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2015 

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References

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