THE MERCATUS MA FELLOWSHIP

Providing financial assistance and practical experience for students pursuing master’s degrees

in economics at George Mason University

grad.mercatus.org

MAKE A DIFFERENCEGood ideas are critical to solving the real and com-plex problems in our rapidly-evolving world—but good ideas do not change society on their own. Individuals who apply those ideas do. And Mercatus MA Fellows are those individuals.

Mercatus MA Fellows know that ideas grounded in sound economics hold special promise as solutions to many of the world’s most-pressing problems. They also know that ideas that are never applied can’t solve those problems, so Mercatus MA Fellows work to bridge the gap between ideas and their application.

Working alongside scholars at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and applying economic ideas to a wide range of topics in business and public policy, Mercatus MA Fellows gain valuable real-world experience. This unique combination means that they emerge from the program as competitive and innovative problem-solvers in a world where good ideas—in the hands of effective and influential individuals—can make a real difference.

“The one defining characteristic of our program is the open invitation to inquiry that we offer to all who are serious about using economics to study human beings in all walks of life.”

—Peter Boettke, author of Living Economics and co-author of the economics blog Coordination Problem

THE MERCATUS MA FELLOWSHIP

The Mercatus MA Fellowship is a competitive, full-time fellowship program for students pursuing a master’s degree in economics at George Mason University who are interested in gaining advanced training in applied economics in preparation for a career in public policy. In addition to providing fellows with valuable experience, the Mercatus MA Fellowship fully funds students with an award valued up to $40,000 per academic year. Successful fellows have secured public policy positions as Presidential Management Fellows, economists and analysts with federal and state governments, and policy analysts at prominent research institutions.

THE TOTAL AWARD OF UP TO $80,000 (OVER TWO YEARS) INCLUDES:

• A MONTHLY STIPEND,

• FULL TUITION SUPPORT (NINE CREDITS PER SEMESTER), AND

• PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE AS A RESEARCH ASSISTANT WORKING WITH SCHOLARS AT THE MERCATUS CENTER.

“[At Mason,] you get to talk about ideas the whole time, not about local politics or the real estate market, not about sports. You get to talk about ideas, from one second on to the end of the conversation.”

—Tyler Cowen, author of Creative Destruction and An Economist Gets Lunch and co-author of the popular economics blog Marginal Revolution

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY’S DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS

George Mason University, named the top “up and coming” school by U.S. News & World Report, is set-ting the gold standard for the modern, public uni-versity. Its dynamic culture and innovative academic programs prepare Mason’s hard-working students for 21st-century careers.

Mason’s department of economics is at the cutting edge of economic research, specializing in pub-lic choice, Austrian economics, new institutional economics, experimental economics, constitutional political economy, and law and economics.

Among the department’s distinguished faculty are two Nobel laureates in economics, James M. Buchanan and Vernon L. Smith, and a host of schol-ars who are accomplished in both teaching and research. They regularly publish scholarly articles and books, testify in congressional hearings, com-ment on government policies, and frequently appear in the media, such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, and NPR.

The economics department is also home to some of the top economic blogs, including Marginal Revolution by professors Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok, Café Hayek co-authored by professor Donald Boudreaux, and Coordination Problem by professors Peter Boettke, Peter Leeson, and Christopher Coyne.

Based at the Arlington campus, the Mercatus MA Fellowship offers unique access to Mason’s intellectual community while being situated at the doorstep of our nation’s capital.

THE MERCATUS CENTER AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

The Mercatus Center at George Mason Univer-sity is the world’s premier university source for market-oriented ideas—bridging the gap between academic ideas and real-world problems.

As a university-based research center, Mercatus advances knowledge about how markets work to improve people’s lives by training graduate students, conducting research, and applying eco-nomics to offer solutions to society’s most pressing problems.

Our mission is to generate knowledge and under-standing of the institutions that affect the freedom to prosper and to find sustainable solutions that overcome the barriers preventing individuals from living free, prosperous, and peaceful lives.

Founded in 1980, the Mercatus Center is located on George Mason University’s Arlington campus.

Mercatus MA Fellows gain experience in a unique suite of applied research areas, including regulatory studies, financial markets, spending and budget, state and local policy, technology policy, and the study of American capitalism. By assisting Mercatus scholars in their research, fellows have the opportunity to contribute to innovative scholarship and timely policy analysis.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

All Mercatus MA Fellows must:

• maintain a 3.5 grade point average,

• enroll in nine credits each semester,

• actively participate in a monthly theory-to-practice reading group,

• actively participate in a workshop series on career development and job placement,

• spend approximately 20 hours per week working with Mercatus Center faculty mentors and staff,

• complete a significant single-authored research project,

• spend the summer following their second semester working with faculty mentors and beginning research on their research projects,

• complete the core MA economic courses required by Mason’s department of economics,

• complete “Regulation and the Market Process” (ECON 695) or “Entrepreneurship and Public Policy” (ECON 695) in their first semester,

• complete “Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in Economics Analysis” (ECON 695) in their third semester, and

• complete their elective courses from within Mason’s department of economics.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

To apply for the Mercatus MA Fellowship, please complete the following steps:

1. Complete the standard application for fall admission to the master’s program in economics at George Mason University. Please indicate on the application that you would like to be considered for the Mercatus MA Fellowship.

2. Submit the following materials to MAFellows@mercatus.org

• a cover letter,

• a resume,

• a 10-page writing sample, and

• a 500- to 1,000-word essay on “why some societies prosper while others remain stagnant or poor.”

Please visit grad.mercatus.org for the application dead-line. Acceptance into the fellowship is dependent upon acceptance into the master’s program in economics at George Mason University.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For more information about the Mercatus MA Fellowship, please visit grad.mercatus.org, or contact:

Stefanie Haeffele-Balch Associate Director of Graduate Student Programs Mercatus Center at George Mason University (800) 815-5711 e-mail: MAFellows@mercatus.org

Cover images, from left to right: Christina Forsberg, class of 2010, congressional staffer; Gabriel Okolski, class of 2010, transportation loan specialist and former Presidential Management Fellow, Export-Import Bank of the United States; Ben VanMetre, class of 2012, senior budget and tax policy analyst, Illinois Policy Institute. Interior image, lower left: Courtesy Ryan Freeland/FEE.