Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship
A one-year program for graduate students from any university and discipline who are interested in public policy.
Applications for the 2024-2025 academic year are due March 15, 2024.
About the Fellowship
The Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship is a one-year, competitive fellowship program awarded to graduate students attending master’s, juris doctoral, and doctoral programs in a variety of fields including economics, law, political science, and public policy.
Additional Financial Support
Additional sources of funding are available to our Bastiat Fellows, including:
Students who meet all of the following 3 criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:
- Students that will be enrolled in an accredited graduate program during the upcoming academic year.
- Students that are able to commit to traveling during 4 weekends for colloquia during the upcoming academic year.
- Students that have an interest in public policy and Mercatus’ approach to research and outreach in the ongoing debates on public policy.
Yes. Acceptance to the program is conditional on enrollment in an accredited graduate program during the year of participation in the Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship.
Yes. It is the responsibility of the applicant to determine whether work related to completing a dissertation, thesis, or going on the job market will interfere with full involvement in the program. Applicants who can commit to full participation in the program are strongly encouraged to apply.
Students that are enrolled in an accredited graduate program, including master’s, juris doctoral, and doctoral programs are strongly encouraged to apply. That includes, but is not limited to, MA, MPP, LLM, JD, and PhD degree programs.
Yes. Graduate students from any discipline who have an interest in the program are strongly encouraged to apply.
Any student of any nationality enrolled in any degree-seeking graduate program at any university, in the US or abroad, is eligible to apply for the Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship. The program will arrange and cover airfare, as well as lodging and meals associated with the fellowship.
Each fellow is responsible for making the appropriate verifications of their eligibility to receive funding from the Mercatus Center. Fellows should check with their home departments, international student offices, or private foundations (as appropriate) to verify their eligibility. Fellows are responsible for any applicable taxes on the honoraria provided through the Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship.
The terms of the Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship carry with them the expectation that fellows will be substantially involved in the entirety of the formal colloquium schedule as well as the activities, including meals and hospitality that are scheduled as part of the conference program. This expectation exists because conversations about the readings and the discussions in the colloquium sessions invariably continue beyond the time allotted by the program schedule. We also strongly encourage the fellows to interact with each other and scholar participants, and to discuss their own and each other’s work and how it relates to the themes discussed in session. Consequently, in order to ensure that every fellow gets the most out of the experience, all fellows are required to lodge at the conference site and to be present for the entirety of the scheduled program.
Colloquium dates are subject to some variability. The weekend colloquia will be scheduled exact dates will be confirmed during the summer preceding participation in the program.
For weekend colloquia, fellows should plan to arrive at the conference hotel prior to 5pm on the Friday that commences the colloquium; fellows are free to leave at their convenience on Saturday afternoon when the colloquium adjourns.
Fellows are responsible for making sure the program has up to date contact information, including email and valid postal address. Readings will be distributed both by email and by post two months in advance of each colloquium.
Fellows may submit for reimbursement any conventional expenses associated with travel. These expenses include cab fare and mileage incurred by the fellow to and from home and the conference site, parking, and hotel accommodation in the event of travel delays. The program will arrange and cover airfare, as well as lodging and meals associated with the program.
Yes.
Yes. Fellowship recipients are eligible to re-apply to the Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship program each year of their studies. Fellows are also eligible to apply for conference travel and research support. Doctoral students may also be eligible for the Adam Smith Fellowship, Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship, Elinor Ostrom Fellowship, and Don Lavoie Fellowship. Non-doctoral students may also be eligible for the Don Lavoie Fellowship.
Email [email protected] regarding general questions about the fellowship or questions about you application materials or application status.