The Clough Center at Boston College is now accepting applications for its suite of 2026-27 fellowships under this year’s theme, Democracy at Scale. The programme invites doctoral students, undergraduates, correspondents, visiting scholars, and faculty affiliates to explore how democratic governance operates across local, national, and supranational levels, from participatory budgeting to federalism and regional autonomy.
About the 2026-27 Democracy at Scale Fellowship Programme
The Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy at Boston College organises its annual fellowship cohort around a central research theme. For 2026-27, that theme is Democracy at Scale, asking which problems of governance are best addressed locally, nationally, or beyond, and who should decide. The Centre brings together scholars from the humanities, social sciences, law, and professional schools to engage with these questions through weekly seminars, public events, and the annual Spring Symposium.
Funding Size
- Doctoral Fellowship stipend: USD 6,000, paid in three instalments
- Junior Fellowship stipend: USD 3,000, with opportunity to apply for additional research and conference funding
- Visiting Fellow: monthly stipend to cover cost of living during one- or two-month residency, plus a travel fund for out-of-town fellows
- Clough Correspondents: paid positions up to 40 hours per week (summer) or 20 hours per week (academic year)
Who Can Apply
- Doctoral Fellows: Boston College doctoral students at any stage of research in the social sciences, humanities, or professional schools
- Junior Fellows: Boston College undergraduates with interest in constitutional democracy
- Clough Correspondents: Boston College undergraduate or graduate students available for research and administrative support
- Visiting Fellows: early- to mid-career scholars with a PhD in the humanities or social sciences from US or international institutions
- Faculty Affiliates: Boston College faculty whose work touches on the annual theme
Geographic Eligibility
- Doctoral, Junior, and Correspondent fellowships: Boston College students only
- Visiting Fellowship: open to US and international scholars
Sector or Thematic Focus
- Constitutional democracy, past, present, and future
- Federalism, regional autonomy, and participatory governance
- State and society relations, political economy, and democratic norms
- The role of media, arts, humanities, and religious traditions in democratic life
- Subnational conflict, self-governance, and scale of democratic decision-making
Application Process
All fellowship applications are submitted through the Clough Center’s Google Forms portal. Applications must be submitted as PDF documents with the applicant’s name and document type in the file title. Visiting Fellowship applications are submitted directly to clough.center@bc.edu as a single PDF addressed to Prof. Jonathan Laurence, Director of the Clough Center. Faculty Affiliates interested in joining should also write directly to that address. Recommendation letters for student fellowships are submitted separately through a dedicated Google Form.
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Required Materials
- Cover letter describing research interests and alignment with the Democracy at Scale theme
- CV or resume
- University transcripts (unofficial acceptable for student applicants)
- Writing sample: up to 30 pages for Doctoral Fellows, up to 20 pages for Correspondents
- A 1-2 page submission to the annual “What the Constitution Means to Us” event
- One letter of recommendation from a principal academic advisor or faculty member
Key Dates
- Visiting Fellowship: applications accepted on a rolling basis for the 2026-27 academic year
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Selection Notes
Fellows are expected to attend all official Clough Center events as a condition of their fellowship. Doctoral Fellows contribute to the annual Clough Center Journal and Spring Symposium. Junior Fellows participate in biweekly seminar discussions. The Visiting Fellow plays a central role in planning the annual Spring Symposium. Boston College is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from candidates committed to diversity and inclusion.