Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellowship

Deadline: 15 October 2012
Fellowship: Each fellow receives a monthly stipend for living expenses, plus basic health insurance and roundtrip travel to and from Washington, D.C., at the beginning and end of the fellowship period. Fellowship payments are calculated to cover cost of a short-term, furnished rental aprtment, plus “cost of living” for food, local transportation, and other necessities. Fellows are provided with a fully equipped office, including Internet access and a NED email account, plus a limited budget for long-distance phone calls and professional travel within the United States.

Description

Named in honor of NED’s principal founders, former president Ronald Reagan and the late congressman Dante Fascell (D-Fl.), the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program is a federally funded, international exchange program that offers practitioners, scholars, and journalists from around the world the opportunity to spend five months in residence at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), in Washington, D.C., in order to undertake independent research on democracy in a particular country or region. Located within NED’s International Forum for Democratic Studies, the program provides a rich intellectual setting for educational exchange and professional development.
The Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program offers five-month fellowships to practitioners to focus on strategies and best practices for developing democracy in their country of interest; and to scholars to conduct original research for publication. Projects may address the economic, political, social, legal, or cultural aspects of democratic development and include a range of methodologies and approaches. While the two tracks share many common elements, they have different eligibility requirements and distinct goals, activities, and products associated with them.
The Practitioner Track
The Reagan-Fascell program was established with the primary purpose of supporting democracy activists, human rights advocates, journalists, and others who work on the frontlines of building democracy in emerging and aspiring democracies. The program provides practitioners with a needed break from their daily routine so that they may reflect on their work, exchange ideas and experiences with counterparts in the United States, and reevaluate techniques for building democracy in their country of origin.
Practitioner fellowships are typically five months in duration and culminate in a report, short article, op-ed, handbook, or another product, as well as a formal presentation of the fellow’s analysis and ideas.

• Eligibility

Applicants interested in the practitioner track are expected to have substantial practical experience working to promote democracy or human rights in their country of origin or interest. There are no specific degree requirements for the practitioner track. A Ph.D., for instance, is not required of practitioner applicants. While there are also no age limits, applicants on the practitioner track are typically mid-career professionals with several years of professional experience in the field of democracy and human rights. Examples of eligible candidates for the practitioner track include human rights advocates, lawyers, journalists, labor leaders, political party activists, diplomats, professional staff of civic or humanitarian organizations, and other civil society professionals from developing and aspiring democracies.
The Scholarly Track
In recognition of the importance of intellectual contributions to the theory and practice of democracy, the Reagan-Fascell program offers a scholarly track for scholars, professors, and established writers. Applicants for this track may be scholars from emerging and aspiring democracies or accomplished scholars from the United States and other established democracies.
Fellowships on the scholarly track are typically five months in duration. Scholars make at least one public presentation of their work and complete a substantial piece of writing (typically an article or book) for publication.

• Eligibility

Applicants interested in the scholarly track are expected to possess a doctorate (a Ph.D., or academic equivalent) at the time of application, to have a proven record of publications in their field, and to have developed a detailed research outline for their fellowship project. Examples of eligible candidates for the scholarly track include college and university professors, researchers, journalists, and other writers from developing and aspiring democracies. Distinguished scholars from the United States or other established democracies are also eligible to apply. Occasionally, a professional who is planning to write a book or other scholarly publication may qualify to apply on the scholarly track.

Eligibility requirements for all apllicants

• Citizens of any country may apply.
• Proficiency in the English language.
• Topics focusing on the political, social, economic, legal, or cultural aspects of democratic development
• Availability for a full-time, residential fellowship at the International Forum for Democratic Studies in Fall 2012 (October 1, 2012–February 28, 2013) and/or Spring 2013 (March–July 2013)

English Language Requirement:
A working knowledge of English is a prerequisite for participation in the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program. All application materials must be submitted in English. While fellows’ primary product may be in their native language, they should have a solid command of written and spoken English for general communication purposes.
Individuals Ineligible to Apply:

• Students seeking scholarships, or other types of financial aid, to defray the cost of their education
• Ph.D. candidates & postdoctoral scholars seeking funding to pursue doctoral/postdoctoral research
• Professionals seeking financial assistance to pay for trainings, attend conferences, or pursue internships
• Individuals without proficiency in the English language
• Applicants whose projects fail to draw a connection to democracy and human rights
• Candidates unavailable for a fellowship in Fall 2012 (October 1, 2012–February 28, 2013) or Spring 2013 (March–July 2013)

Application

The application season for fellowships in 2013–2014 will begin on July 15, 2012 and end on October 15, 2012. Applicants are asked to visit the Online Application System during that time in order to submit their fellowship application. First-time users of the online system will be asked to register in order to set up a profile for themselves. Once registration is complete, candidates will receive an email containing their login information to access the online system and begin their application. There are five steps to the online application process. The Online Application System will allow you to begin working on an application, save your progress, and return at a later time to complete the remaining application components. You are advised to save your work at all times. Additionally, please note that while applicants may complete Step 1 (Applicant Information) at any time, they will not be able to proceed to Step 2 until the application season opens on July 15, 2012.
The Official Website