The James Buchanan Fellowship is a one-year, competitive fellowship program awarded to scholars in any discipline who have recently graduated from their doctoral programs. The aim of this fellowship is to encourage early-career scholars to critically engage ideas in the political economy of Adam Smith and the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy. In addition, James Buchanan Fellows will be introduced to contemporary applications of these ideas to questions in social sciences dealing with the dynamics and institutional underpinnings of economic, political, and social coordination.

James Buchanan Fellows spend two weekends in residence at George Mason University (Fairfax, VA) and three days together virtually during the academic year participating in discussions on mainline political economy. Each colloquium is structured around a set of readings and includes discussion sessions, lectures, formal meals, and hospitality. Hayek Program scholars, affiliated scholars, and alumni of our James Buchanan Fellowship serve as discussion leaders and participants during the colloquia. Fellows will join a network of Mercatus students, alumni, and scholars who are conducting and engaging with cutting-edge research in contemporary political economy and are eligible to apply for conference and research funding.