Location: USA
Program: Postdoctoral fellowship
Eligibility: All Nationalities
Duration: 1 year
Deadline: April 15, 2026
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The James Buchanan Fellowship is a prestigious, one-year competitive fellowship programme awarded by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University to early-career scholars across all academic disciplines who have recently completed their doctoral studies. Named after Nobel Memorial Prize laureate James M. Buchanan Jr. founder of the Virginia School of political economy and recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Economic Science for his landmark contributions to the theory of political decision-making and public economics this fellowship is designed to introduce promising postdoctoral researchers to the foundational ideas and contemporary applications of the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy, with a particular emphasis on the work of Adam Smith and the institutional underpinnings of economic, political, and social coordination.
The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is one of the United States’ foremost university-based research centres focused on market-oriented approaches to public policy, economics, and social science, and is widely regarded as a leading global hub for scholarship in the tradition of Hayek, Buchanan, and Ostrom. Based at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia itself one of the fastest-growing and most research-intensive public universities in the United States the Mercatus Center brings together scholars, students, and policymakers to advance knowledge and develop practical solutions grounded in rigorous economic analysis, institutional theory, and an understanding of the limits of government.
Benefits of the Fellowship
This fellowship will provide the following to its recipients:
- Total award of up to $8,000, comprising a personal stipend plus all programme-related expenses
- Full coverage of all required reading materials distributed in advance of each colloquium
- All travel costs covered, including international airfare for non-US-based fellows, as well as ground transportation to and from the conference site
- All lodging and meal costs covered for in-person colloquia at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
- Two in-person weekend colloquia at George Mason University + three days of virtual engagement over the course of the academic year
- Other benefits
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Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for this fellowship, applicants must meet the following:
- Must have graduated from an accredited doctoral (PhD) programme within the last six years of the year of fellowship participation
- Must hold an academic position at an accredited university and/or a research position at an organisation dedicated to in-depth research in the social sciences or other sciences during the year of fellowship participation
- Open to scholars of any nationality, based anywhere in the world
- Open to scholars from any academic discipline — a PhD in economics, political science, or philosophy is not required; scholars whose research or teaching interests would benefit from a deeper engagement with political economy writings are strongly encouraged to apply regardless of discipline
- Must be able to commit to attending all aspects of both in-person weekend colloquia at George Mason University (including meals and social activities) and all virtual engagement days — full attendance is mandatory
- Must arrive prepared for each colloquium having carefully read all assigned materials in advance
- Each fellow is responsible for verifying their own eligibility to receive funding from the Mercatus Center with their institution, HR department, or legal advisors
Note: Kindly check the official webpage for full and detailed requirements
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Selection Criteria
The James Buchanan Fellowship is a competitive, merit-based award assessed through a holistic review of each applicant’s academic profile, research trajectory, and intellectual alignment with the aims of the programme. The primary selection criterion is the quality and clarity of the applicant’s 1–2 page cover letter, which must address five specific dimensions: the applicant’s graduate school career to date; their academic career goals; their current and planned research interests and projects; their existing familiarity if any with thinkers associated with the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy; and, most importantly, a compelling and specific articulation of what the applicant hopes to gain from participation in the programme and how engagement with mainline political economy is likely to benefit their research and teaching.
How to Apply
CLICK HERE to visit the official webpage and submit your application.
