Background

The National Council for Eurasian and East European Research (NCEEER) announces the creation of the James R. Millar Graduate Student Prize. This prize provides up to $500 annually for the best graduate student research paper in the humanities and social sciences regarding current or former communist regimes. Winners will receive support from the editorial staff of Problems of Post Communism to prepare the paper for publication. Problems of Post-Communism has an all-scholar editorial board overseen by the Board of Directors of NCEEER.

Requirements

The deadline for submission of papers is February 15, 2008. The Problems of Post-Communism Editorial Board will judge the competition and applicants will be notified of the outcome by May 15, 2008.

In seeking the Millar Prize, applicants should submit via email (info@nceeer.org) papers of no more than 15-25 double-spaced pages in 12-point font. All submissions must be in English. Papers should be original research projects using primary sources, rather than reviews of existing literature.

The paper topic should be of direct relevance to research issues and trends or contemporary concerns of scholars and policy makers regarding current or former communist regimes. To qualify, applicants must hold or be within one year of receiving an MA or Ph.D in any discipline of the humanities and social sciences, with a concentration and considerable background on some aspect of the history, culture, politics, and economics of communist and postcommunist countries. Postdoctoral scholars are not eligible to participate.

About NCEEER and James R. Millar

NCEEER was created in 1978 to develop and sustain long-term, high-quality programs for postdoctoral research on the social, political, economic, environmental, and historical development of the former Soviet Union and Southeastern Europe. From broad, cross-cultural analyses to more focused studies of particular economic problems that warrant attention, NCEEER supports research projects that facilitate an exchange of information between the scholarly and governmental communities that is mutually beneficial. NCEEER emphasizes projects that produce readable analysis, reliable information, and lively debate about current economic, political, and international issues. Applicants must demonstrate, directly or indirectly, how their research impacts upon policy debates and research on such issues.

Professor James R. Millar undertook cutting-edge research in the vitally important nexus between scholarly research and effective policy making, holding prominent positions in several major research universities and as a key advisor to the U.S. government on numerous occasions. Professor Millar has mentored many leading scholars of the Eurasian and East European studies field, and played a key role in building up the field in a variety of academic and administrative settings. He also served as a past Editor of Problems of Post-Communism, playing a key role in sustaining the high research quality of the journal as ownership transferred from the U.S. government to the private sector.

Funding

The James R. Millar Graduate Student Prize is supported by NCEEER discretionary funds.