The Mercatus Center's James Buchanan Fellowship is a one-year, competitive fellowship program awarded to scholars in any discipline who have recently graduated from their doctoral programs. The aim of this fellowship is to encourage early-career scholars to critically engage ideas in the political economy of Adam Smith and the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy. In addition, James Buchanan Fellows will be introduced to contemporary applications of these ideas to questions in social sciences dealing with the dynamics and institutional underpinnings of economic, political, and social coordination.
James Buchanan Fellows spend three weekends in residence at George Mason University (Fairfax, VA) during the calendar year participating in discussions on mainline political economy. To accommodate for the teaching and/or research obligations and responsibilities of early career scholars in the academy, the events that constitute the James Buchanan Fellowship all take place within the same calendar year. Each colloquium is structured around a set of readings and includes discussion sessions, lectures, formal meals, and hospitality. Hayek Program scholars, affiliated scholars, and alumni of our James Buchanan Fellowship serve as discussion leaders and participants during the colloquia. Fellows will join a network of Mercatus students, alumni, and scholars who are conducting and engaging with cutting-edge research in contemporary political economy and are eligible to apply for conference and research funding.
The online application includes:
- A 1-2 page cover letter explaining:
- your graduate school career to date,
- your academic career goals,
- your research interests and current projects,
- your familiarity with the thinkers associated with the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy, and
- what you hope to get out of the program.
- A current resume/CV
- A list of recent academic publications, if any
- A few short answer questions
Application review will begin after the deadline and we anticipate decisions will begin to be announced approximately eight weeks after the deadline.