Reforming Congress? Ethics, Accountability and Leadership in the Contemporary Congress

The 2021 Travers Conference will bring together experts from around the country to assess proposals to reform Congress. There is an active bipartisan effort underway in Washington, D.C., to consider potential reforms of a Congress that is commonly perceived to be falling short on the tasks delegated to it by the Constitution. The conference will engage these reform efforts with a particular focus on issues of ethics, accountability and leadership.

Panel 1: Ethics in Congress: Campaign Finance, Lobbying, and Accountability
Time: 9:30–10:45 a.m.

This panel will offer a general consideration of political ethics, with a focus on particular ethical issues relevant to congressional reform, including issues of campaign finance and post-congressional lobbying.

Moderator: Robert Van Houweling (UC Berkeley)
Bruce Cain (Stanford University)
Ellie Powell (University of Wisconsin)
Steven Hayward (UC Berkeley, IGS)