The Purpose of the Fellowship
The Abe Fellowship for Journalists is designed to encourage in-depth coverage of topics of pressing concern to the United States and Japan through individual short-term policy-related projects.
The Fellowship Research Agenda
Applicants are invited to submit proposals on one of the three themes below.
1) Traditional and non-traditional approaches to security and diplomacy: Appropriate research topics include transnational terrorism, internal ethnic and religious strife, infectious diseases, food safety, climate change, and non-proliferation, as well as the role of cultural initiatives in peace-building.
2) Global and regional economic issues: Suitable topics include regional and bilateral trade arrangements, globalization and the mitigation of its adverse consequences, sustainable urbanization, and environmental degradation.
3) The role of civil society: Appropriate issues include demographic change, immigration, the role of NPOs and NGOs as champions of the public interest, social enterprise, and corporate social responsibility.
Policy Relevance
The Program defines policy-relevant research as the study of existing public policies for the purpose of: a) deepening understanding of those policies and their consequences; and b) formulating more effective policies. Policy-relevance also pertains to the public dialogue on contemporary social issues.
Eligibility
* The AFJ competition is open to citizens of the United States and Japan with at least five years of professional journalistic experience in newspapers, newsmagazines, wire services, and on-line news organizations. Freelancers are also eligible. Nationals of other countries must be permanent residents of the United States or Japan, or have a long-term affiliation with the American or Japanese journalistic communities.
* U.S.-based applicants with no previous journalistic employment in Japan have priority; Japan-based applicants with no previous journalistic employment in the United States have priority.
* Proposals must be non-partisan.
Fellowship awards are contingent upon receipt of funding from the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.
Fellowship Terms
* Fellows are expected to produce an analytical article or feature story that will inform public debate or a policy community. The Fellow and his/her news organization will decide when to run the article.
* The program provides support for six weeks in Japan or the United States. The term may be divided between the principal destination and another country. For example, for Americans, four weeks in Japan and two weeks in another country in the region, and for Japanese, four weeks in the United States and two weeks in Canada or Mexico.
* The maximum stipend is $23,500, which includes one roundtrip air ticket, $500 to prepare for overseas fieldwork, and support for interpretation based on requests. Fellows may receive salary from their employers, but cannot carry out assignments while on the award.
* Fellows are required to attend the Abe Fellows' Retreat from January 7-10, 2011. The fellowship tenure may begin between April 1 and December 31, 2011.
Applications
The application deadline is September 15 annually. Applications must be submitted on-line at http://soap.ssrc.org. For further information, please contact the program directly at abe@ssrc.org
In the US:
Abe Fellowship Program
Social Science Research Council
One Pierrepont Plaza, 15th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA
Email: abe@ssrc.org
Tel: 212-377-2700 / Fax: 212-377-2727
In Japan:
Abe Fellowship Program
SSRC Tokyo Office
c/o Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership
4-4-1 Yotsuya
Shinjuku-ku
Tokyo 160-0004, Japan
Email: ssrcABE@gol.com
Tel: 3-5369-6072 / Fax: 3-5369-6042
Open for applications, next deadline is September 15th 2010.Apply Now
