The Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship is a one-year, competitive fellowship program awarded to graduate students with training in quantitative methods who are attending PhD programs from any university in a variety of fields including economics, political science and sociology.
The aim of this fellowship is to expose students to strategies for utilizing quantitative techniques to explore key questions and themes advanced the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy. Oskar Morgenstern Fellows spend two weekends and half a week during the academic year participating in colloquia on these three schools of political economy.
A total of award of up to $7,000 includes a stipend, travel and lodging to attend colloquia hosted by the Mercatus Center. Oskar Morgenstern Fellows are eligible to apply for conference and research support and are eligible to re-apply each year of their studies.
In order to apply to the Morgenstern Fellowship, please click the “Apply Now” Button and complete the online application. The online application includes:
- A 1-2 page cover letter explaining:
- your graduate school career to date,
- your research and research interest,
- your familiarity with the thinkers associated with the Austrian, Virginia and Bloomington schools of political economy, and
- what you hope to get out of the program.
- A current resume/CV
- A few short answer questions
2021-2022 applications are due March 15, 2021.
Application review will begin after the deadline and we anticipate decisions will begin to be announced approximately eight weeks after the deadline.
Want to receive emails about the Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship and application process? Sign up here! [1]
If you have any questions, please email MorgensternFellowship@mercatus.gmu.edu [2].
Students who meet all of the following 3 criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:
- Students who will be enrolled in an accredited PhD program during the upcoming academic year.
- Students who are able to commit to traveling 2 weekends and half a week for colloquia during the upcoming academic year.
- Students with training in quantitative methods (including but not limited to advanced statistics, regression analysis, experimental economics, mathematical modeling and agent-based modeling) and have a research or teaching interest that would benefit from a greater understanding of key writings in political economy.
Yes. Acceptance to the program is conditional on enrollment in an accredited PhD program during the year of participation in the Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship program.
Yes. It is the responsibility of the applicant to determine whether work related to completing a dissertation 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.
Yes. PhD students from any discipline who have training in quantitative methods (including but not limited to advanced statistics, regression analysis, experimental economics, mathematical modeling and agent-based modeling) and have a research and/or teaching interest that would benefit from a greater understanding of key writings in political economy are strongly encouraged to apply.
Any student of any nationality enrolled in any doctoral program at any university, in the US or abroad, is eligible to apply for the Oskar Morgenstern 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, and/or private foundations (as appropriate) to verify their eligibility. Fellows are responsible for any applicable taxes on the honoraria provided through the Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship Program.
The terms of the Oskar Morgenstern 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 the faculty participants about their own and each other’s academic 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 program will typically host two weekend colloquia in the fall and a half-weeklong colloquium in the spring. Exact dates will be communicated to successful applicants by July preceding participation in the program.
Fellows should plan to arrive at the conference hotel no later than 5pm on the day on which the colloquium. Fellows may depart from the hotel at their convenience once the colloquium formally adjourns.
Fellows are responsible for maintaining an up-to-date record with the program of a valid postal address to which packages can be shipped. Readings will be distributed both by email and by post 2 months in advance of each colloquium.
Fellows may submit for reimbursement any conventional expenses associated with academic 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.
Yes.
Yes, fellowship winners are eligible re-apply to the Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship each year of their studies. Oskar Morgenstern Fellows are also eligible to apply for conference travel and research support. Doctoral students may also be eligible for the Adam Smith Fellowship and Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship.
Email MorgensternFellowship@mercatus.gmu.edu [2] regarding general questions about the fellowship or questions about you application status or application materials.