Mercatus Center Fellowships in Political Economy

The Mercatus Center, headquartered at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, is a center of research and education in the classical liberal tradition, characterized by market-oriented thinking. The Center offers fellowships that provide training and support for students studying political economy, especially the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy as well as contemporary work in this tradition.

Fellowships for Graduate Students

Don Lavoie Fellowship: A competitive, renewable, and online fellowship program for advanced undergraduates, recent graduates considering graduate school, and early-stage graduate students. Fellowships are open to students from any discipline who are interested in studying key ideas in political economy and learning how to utilize these ideas in academic and policy research. Don Lavoie Fellows attend a series of online activities, including an online discussion portal and online reading discussion sessions led by various Hayek Program scholars. Fellows also receive a stipend of up to $1,250 and all required readings.

Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship: 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. The aim of this fellowship is to introduce students to the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy as academic foundations for contemporary policy analysis, policy-relevant academic research, and other applied topics. The total award of up to $7,000 includes a stipend, all required readings, and travel and lodging to attend colloquia hosted by the Mercatus Center.

Ronald Coase Fellowship: A one-year, competitive, and online fellowship program awarded to graduate students attending master’s, juris doctoral, and doctoral programs in a variety of fields including economics, law, political science, public policy, sociology, and history. The aim of this fellowship is to introduce students to the Austrian, Virginian, and Bloomington schools of political economy to understand the causes and consequences of social problems. Fellows will interact with one another and with Mercatus scholars during a series of synchronous virtual colloquia and asynchronous portal participation. Fellows also receive a stipend of up to $2,000 and all required readings.

Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship: A one-year, competitive and online fellowship program awarded to scholars, practitioners, and graduate students from any discipline with interest in political economy and emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence. The aim of this fellowship is to introduce graduate students, scholars, and practitioners to how the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy address questions regarding institutions, progress, governance, epistemology, the theory of the mind, and philosophy of science. Fellows meet for three weekends during the academic year participating in online seminar discussion-style colloquia on these themes of political economy. Fellows also receive a stipend of up to $2,250 and all required readings.

Fellowships for PhD Students

Adam Smith Fellowship: Awarded to graduate students attending PhD programs at any university and in any discipline, including but not limited to economics, philosophy, political science, and sociology. Fellows spend three weekends during the academic year participating in workshops and seminars on the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy. The total award of up to $7,000 includes a stipend, all required readings, and travel and lodging to attend colloquia hosted by the Mercatus Center.

Carl Menger Fellowship: A one-year, competitive, and online fellowship program awarded to PhD students from any university and any discipline, including but not limited to economics, philosophy, political science, and sociology. Fellows meet nine times over the fellowship year, participating in online seminar discussions on the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy. The total award of up to $2,250 includes a stipend and all required readings.

Elinor Ostrom Fellowship: A one-year, competitive fellowship program awarded to PhD students from any university and any discipline, including but not limited to economics, philosophy, political science, and sociology. The aim of this fellowship is to expose students to the themes of markets, culture, morality, and sociality within the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy and to provide them with the tools needed to utilize this framework in academic research that explore these themes. Elinor Ostrom Fellows spend three weekends during the academic year participating in colloquia on these three schools of political economy. The total award of up to $7,000 includes a stipend, all required readings, and travel and lodging to attend colloquia hosted by the Mercatus Center.

Fellowships for Early Career Scholars

James Buchanan Fellowship:  A one-year, competitive fellowship program awarded to scholars in any discipline who have recently (within the last six years) 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 two weekends in residence at George Mason University and three days together virtually during the academic year participating in discussions on mainline political economy. The total award of up to $8,000 includes a stipend, all required readings, and travel and lodging to attend colloquia hosted by the Mercatus Center.