Resilient Societies
A Call for Proposals
How Do Institutions Adapt — and When Do They Break?
Mercatus invites scholars and independent thinkers to explore a pressing question: How do societies stay resilient under stress? We are seeking proposals that examine how institutions organize, adapt, and endure — or fail — when tested by crisis, conflict, or rapid change.
Selected applicants will receive a $3,000–$6,000 grant to develop a focused analytical project during summer and fall 2026.
When geopolitical conflict and trade disruption upend the relationships societies rely on, when technological change outpaces the rules meant to govern it, and when fiscal strain, demographic pressure, and declining public trust put institutions under stress, some societies adapt. Others rigidify, centralize, and become less capable of responding.
That difference is not random. Resilience depends on how rules, norms, and incentives are designed, and on whether people can adapt and coordinate when conditions change.
Across economics, governance, and civil society, institutional stress often produces calls for more control and tighter coordination. The rapid rise of artificial intelligence is accelerating these pressures while creating new ones, reshaping how people coordinate, how information flows, and how decisions are made. We seek to examine these dynamics carefully and explore arrangements that help societies adapt without giving up liberty, pluralism, or the ability to learn.
We suspect important work on these questions is already underway by thinkers we have not yet met. This call for proposals is how we hope to find them — and support them.
We are also trying to answer a broader inquiry: Which questions matter most for sustaining open, resilient societies, and where is the most serious work being done? Your work will help us figure that out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can’t find the answers you’re looking for? Email [email protected].
A select group. We will keep the number small enough to allow meaningful engagement with the strongest work.
Grant amounts will reflect the scope and nature of the proposed work. Projects involving original case research, comparative analysis, or significant primary source work will generally receive more funding. We will confirm the grant amount when participants are selected.
Not necessarily. Some projects may develop into publications through Mercatus, and we will work with authors on those decisions. But the primary purpose is the inquiry and the relationship.
No. We welcome applicants from policy research, legal practice, journalism, civil society, and other applied fields. What matters is the quality of your thinking about institutional design and your ability to communicate it clearly.
Yes. We are especially interested in projects that explore how AI is affecting people across different strata of society and how they are adapting to rapid innovation. The more your work considers the future trajectory of AI and what it means for the resilience of open, adaptive societies, the stronger the fit.
We are actively looking for talent in this space, and this call is one way we identify people whose work Mercatus should be investing in. For the right people, that has taken the form of commissioned research, visiting fellowships, workshop participation, and ongoing advisory relationships.
Specificity about institutional mechanisms. Evidence of independent thinking. The ability to translate analysis across disciplinary and sectoral boundaries so that it speaks to policymakers, practitioners, or informed public audiences. We are also looking for a clear sense of direction — applicants whose work is building toward something rather than responding to a one-time prompt.
In fall 2026, we will evaluate what this effort has surfaced. Strong work will lead to continued investment. The form that takes will vary by person and project, but Mercatus is prepared to commit meaningful resources to the people and questions this effort identifies.
Yes. We expect that many applicants will be building on existing lines of inquiry. What matters is that the proposed project has a clearly scoped question and a deliverable that can be completed within the project period.
Yes. We welcome applications from outside the United States, provided their work engages questions relevant to institutional design and governance broadly.
This call is designed for individual applicants. If your work is deeply collaborative, please apply as a lead author and note your collaborator in the proposal.