The Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC) Scholarly Borderlands Initiative, in collaboration with the Tobin Project, seeks graduate student grant proposals that focus on how cultural factors may contribute to “regulatory capture” in the United States. According to the announcement,
Applications are welcomed from students of any discipline in the social sciences studying at the graduate level. Students who are members of groups traditionally underrepresented in the social sciences are particularly encouraged to apply. At this time, only US-based researchers and projects can be accommodated.
For a fuller discussion of the project, please see the announcement website. Questions about the project or application process may be addressed to scholarlyborderlands@ssrc.org. The application deadline is January 18, 2019.
This project aims to facilitate new research investigating interactions between private industry representatives and government regulators outside of the formal procedures outlined by administrative law. Successful applicants will receive funding toward the completion of short-term, ethnographic research on “regulatory-adjacent spaces” or other promising projects that address how cultural influences may alter regulatory outcomes. The resulting research will investigate possible pathways of undue influence, as well as consider implications for efforts to prevent regulatory capture.To apply, please send a proposal of no more than five pages along with your curriculum vitae to scholarlyborderlands@ssrc.org. Proposals should include a project timeline identifying the specific event(s) at which you intend to conduct fieldwork, a proposed plan of action for interfacing with other attendees, specific research questions to be explored over the course of your research, and a preliminary budget. Applications that demonstrate deep background knowledge about the industry of focus and relevant regulatory topics that may be addressed at the site of research are most likely to be successful. Creative proposals that address the issue of cultural capture outside the scope of observable “regulatory-adjacent spaces” will also be considered.
Applications are welcomed from students of any discipline in the social sciences studying at the graduate level. Students who are members of groups traditionally underrepresented in the social sciences are particularly encouraged to apply. At this time, only US-based researchers and projects can be accommodated.
For a fuller discussion of the project, please see the announcement website. Questions about the project or application process may be addressed to scholarlyborderlands@ssrc.org. The application deadline is January 18, 2019.