Latin American Public Opinion Project: Small Grants Program for Research and Publishing

Website: http://sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/LAPOPSMALLGRANTS
Application deadline: the deadline of December 15, 2007 has passed. Please consult the Website for the most updated information.

Objectives:
In order to support scientific research on public opinion, electoral behavior and regional political culture the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP), with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is opening a competition for scholars world-wide at public and private institutions, to compete for small grants in the field of democracy in Latin America. Every project eligible for a grant must have as its basis the analysis of at least one of the databases in the LAPOP files.

Eligibility:
Eligible individuals are faculty members, researchers and graduate students in any country whose work is related to democratization in Latin America and who are conducting research projects in recognized academic or research institutions. Minimal requirement: M.A. in a social science.

Conditions:
The grant consists of a total of USD 3,000. This amount may be spent on various activities directly related to the approved project, including software acquisition, bibliographical material, research assistance and salaries/fees of the researcher(s). The grant will be paid as follows: half of the total upon award, and the remainder when the final report of the research is accepted by LAPOP. The final report must be submitted within 6 months of receiving the grant. If that deadline is not met, the second half of the funds will not be paid.

LAPOP will provide the relevant public opinion data bases at no cost to the grantee, although all grantees must first receive human subjects certification from Vanderbilt University. Grantees will be instructed how to obtain this certification, for which there is no cost.

The research should contribute to academic discussion in the field of democratization, with an emphasis on public opinion, electoral behavior, and political culture. The papers produced will be published as part of the LAPOP Working Paper Series. Publication in the LAPOP Working Paper Series in no way would prevent authors from publishing their papers in journals or books, and indeed are encouraged to do so. The final report can be submitted in Spanish or English.

Evaluation Mechanisms:
Projects will be evaluated by a committee comprised of distinguished researchers and scholars from various countries. The selection will be based on:

a) The qualifications of the applicant, as demonstrated by the CV

b) The rigor of the scientific approach and methodology proposed

c) The degree to which the proposal demonstrate conceptual innovation and promise for applied contributions to democracy promotion.

Required Documentation:
See Website.

Dates:
Due: December 15, 2007, 5 pm CST. Each participant will be informed of the results of the competition by February 1, 2008.

Contact information:
Grants Program Coordinator
Latin America Public Opinion Project (LAPOP)
Department of Political Science
VanderbiltUniversity
VU Station B #351527
2301 Vanderbilt Place
Nashville, TN 37235-1527
(615) 343.2097
dominique.zephyr@vanderbilt.edu