Fellowship•USA · Fairfax · Hybrid

James Buchanan Fellowship

Funding

Partial / Stipend

Program dates

TBA

The James Buchanan Fellowship is a competitive, one-year program run by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Named for Nobel laureate James M. Buchanan (Nobel Prize 1986, died 2013), it introduces early-career scholars to the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy and encourages them to critically engage the ideas of Adam Smith and their application to contemporary social-science questions. Fellows keep their existing academic or research posts and participate part-time through a mix of in-residence and virtual colloquia across the academic year.

Benefits & funding

  • Award of up to $8,000 USD, comprising a stipend and reading materials.
  • Travel and lodging covered to attend the in-residence colloquia at George Mason University.
  • Airfare covered for international participants.
  • Structured engagement with leading scholars in political economy and a scholarly network.

Eligibility

  • Open to scholars of any nationality (international participants are supported with airfare).
  • Must have graduated from a doctoral program within the last six years.
  • Must hold an academic position at an accredited university and/or a research position with an organization dedicated to in-depth research during the fellowship year.
  • A PhD from any discipline is acceptable, provided the applicant’s research and/or teaching interests would benefit from a deeper understanding of political economy.

Application process

  1. 1
    Prepare a 1–2 page cover letter, a CV/résumé, and a list of publications.
  2. 2
    Complete the short-answer responses in the online application form.
  3. 3
    Submit through the Mercatus online application before the annual deadline.
  4. 4
    Await the review; decisions are announced roughly ten to twelve weeks after the deadline.

Program timeline

  1. Application deadline for the 2026–2027 academic year (now closed).

    Apr 15, 2026

  2. Around 10–12 weeks after the deadline

    Decisions announced.

  3. Exact colloquium dates confirmed.

    June or July preceding participation

  4. Across the academic year

    Two weekends in residence at George Mason University plus three virtual days.