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I am honored to introduce the John Brademas Center for the Study of Congress at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

The Center is one of the first of its kind to pursue a rigorous study of Congress as a policy-making institution. The Center will enhance both scholarly and public understanding of the role of Congress in writing the nation’s laws and forging its policies.

With our separation-of-powers Constitution, Congress, unlike the legislative body in a parliamentary system, exercises great power in the making of national policy. But with 100 Senators and 435 Representatives and, customarily, no strict party discipline, Congress is not an easy institution to understand, even for the well-informed.

The Brademas Center will be a place to which we shall invite Presidents, Senators and Representatives—current and former, Democrats and Republicans; Cabinet Secretaries and other Executive Branch officials; judges; Congressional staffers; parliamentarians from other countries; journalists; and scholars and students to meet to discuss both the processes by which Congress shapes policy and substantive issues facing our nation. Through an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Congress, we seek to illumine both academic and public understanding of what the Constitution designates “The First Branch” of the Federal Government.

John Brademas
President Emeritus

  • Publications: A Report - Moving Forward: A Renewed Role for American Arts and Artists in the Global Age Publication Available Soon
  • Publications: 2009 Intern Papers: Read about Congress from the perspective of our Interns Available Here
  • Event: An Evening with Robert Kaiser of The Washington Post at NYU Info Available Soon
  • Event: 4th Annual Bernard and Irene Schwartz Lecture on Congress Info Available Soon
  • News: 2009 Consitution Day Celebration Washington Square News Read it Here
  • News: Brademas Center report proposes solutions for Congress Washington Square News Read it Here
  • Project: The Reflections Project: Departing Members of Congress Assess the Institution
  • Project: Legislating for the Future: Assessing the Institution’s Ability to Make Long-Term Decisions
The John Brademas Center for the Study of Congress is housed at
NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.