“MERCATUS CENTER’S FUNDED GRADUATE STUDENT FELLOWSHIPS”

Applications are now open for four fellowship programs offered by the Mercatus Center. These graduate student fellowships, available to students in any discipline and at any university, provide an opportunity to join a network of Mercatus students, alumni, faculty, and scholars engaged in cutting-edge research in contemporary political economy. The four funded, part-time fellowships include:

  1. Elinor Ostrom Fellowship
  2. Adam Smith Fellowship
  3. Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship
  4. Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship

All applications must be submitted by March 15, 2024.

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The Adam Smith Fellowship:

A co-sponsored program of the Mercatus Center and Liberty Fund, Inc., is open to graduate students attending PhD programs at any university and in any discipline, such as economics, philosophy, political science, and sociology. The fellowship aims to introduce students to and encourage critical engagement with key thinkers in political economy that they might not encounter in their regular studies. Adam Smith Fellows participate in workshops and seminars on the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy, with three weekends during the academic year and one week in the summer dedicated to these activities.

Eligibility: Awarded to PhD students at any university and in any discipline, including but not limited to economics, philosophy, political science, and sociology.

Benefits: The total award, up to $10,000, includes a stipend and covers travel and lodging expenses for colloquia hosted by the Mercatus Center.

Adam Smith Fellows have the opportunity to reapply each year of their studies and can also apply for conference and research support.

The Adam Smith Fellowship, a co-sponsored program of the Mercatus Center and Liberty Fund, Inc., is open to graduate students attending PhD programs at any university and in any discipline, such as economics, philosophy, political science, and sociology. The fellowship aims to introduce students to and encourage critical engagement with key thinkers in political economy that they might not encounter in their regular studies. Adam Smith Fellows participate in workshops and seminars on the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy, with three weekends during the academic year and one week in the summer dedicated to these activities.

Eligibility: Awarded to PhD students at any university and in any discipline, including but not limited to economics, philosophy, political science, and sociology.

Benefits: The total award, up to $10,000, includes a stipend and covers travel and lodging expenses for colloquia hosted by the Mercatus Center.

Adam Smith Fellows have the opportunity to reapply each year of their studies and can also apply for conference and research support.

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The Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship:

Is a competitive, one-year program granted to graduate students enrolled in master’s, juris doctorate, and doctoral programs across various fields, including economics, law, political science, and public policy. The fellowship’s goal is to familiarize students with the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy, serving as academic foundations for contemporary policy analysis, research, and applied topics. Fellows will engage in colloquia, interacting with Mercatus scholars focusing on policy analysis and policy-relevant academic research. The fellowship explores the framework’s application in diverse areas such as entrepreneurship, technological innovation, public health, regulation, immigration, natural disasters, military conflicts, and federal and state fiscal policy.

Eligibility: Open to graduate students in master’s, JD, and doctoral programs across various fields, including economics, law, political science, and public policy.

Benefits: The total award, up to $5,000, covers a stipend and travel and lodging expenses for colloquia hosted by the Mercatus Center.

Frédéric Bastiat Fellows have the opportunity to reapply each year of their studies and can also apply for conference and research support.

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The Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship:

Is a competitive, one-year program granted to graduate students with expertise in quantitative methods, enrolled in PhD programs at any university across various fields, including economics, political science, and sociology. The fellowship aims to expose students to strategies employing quantitative techniques for exploring fundamental questions and themes proposed in the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy. Oskar Morgenstern Fellows participate in colloquia on these three schools of political economy, spending two weekends and half a week during the academic year.

Eligibility: Open to PhD students with training in quantitative methods at any university in various fields, including economics, political science, and sociology.

Benefits: The total award, up to $7,000, covers a stipend, travel, and lodging expenses for colloquia hosted by the Mercatus Center.

Oskar Morgenstern Fellows are eligible to apply for conference and research support and can reapply each year of their studies.

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The Elinor Ostrom Fellowship:

Is a competitive, one-year program granted to PhD students from any university and any discipline, encompassing economics, philosophy, political science, and sociology, among others. The fellowship aims to familiarize students with the themes of markets, culture, morality, and sociality within the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy. It equips them with the necessary tools to apply this framework in academic research exploring these themes. Elinor Ostrom Fellows participate in colloquia on these three schools of political economy during three weekends throughout the academic year.

Eligibility: Open to PhD students from any university and any discipline, including but not limited to economics, philosophy, political science, and sociology.

Benefits: The total award, up to $7,000, covers a stipend, travel, and lodging expenses for colloquia hosted by the Mercatus Center.

Elinor Ostrom Fellows are eligible to apply for conference and research support and can reapply each year of their studies. The deadline for all programs is March 15, 2024.

All programs have a deadline of March 15, 2024

Admissions Process

  • Application review will begin after the deadline and decisions will begin to be announced twelve or more weeks after the deadline.
  • If you have any questions, please contact us at students@mercatus.gmu.edu

About the Mercatus Center at George Mason University 

For over 40 years, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University has recruited, trained, and supported graduate students who have gone on to pursue careers in academia, government, and public policy as well as supported scholars pursuing research on the cutting edge of academia. Mercatus student fellows have an opportunity to learn from and interact with an impressive collection of Mercatus faculty, affiliated scholars, and visitors. Past visiting scholars have included Nobel Laureates James Buchanan, Vernon Smith, Douglass North, and Elinor Ostrom, as well as eminent scholars such as Gordon Tullock, Ludwig Lachmann, Israel Kirzner, David Schmidtz, David Friedman, and Deirdre McCloskey.


Not ready to apply this year? Bookmark The Elinor Ostrom FellowshipAdam Smith FellowshipFrédéric Bastiat Fellowship, or Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship to your ProFellow account.

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