The Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE) is pleased to announce that it will award up to two doctoral research assistantships for spring semester 2009. WAGE is a research center that brings together scholars from economics, political science, public policy, sociology, business, law and other fields to study contemporary processes of globalization and its governance.

In the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea, WAGE shares international expertise with the businesses, government, and public of Wisconsin. We organize and fund university events, faculty research, graduate education, and public outreach. WAGE is a member program of the International Institute, a joint initiative of the Division of International Studies and the College of Letters & Science. To learn more about WAGE, visit our website at http://wage.wisc.edu/.

With these RAships, WAGE aims to support the completion of graduate work that explores the consequences of and challenges posed by economic globalization and its governance. We define economic globalization as encompassing all aspects of international interdependence resulting from intensified cross-border flows of goods, services, capital, people, and ideas. WAGE is interested in institutions and arrangements for the governance of economic globalization at all levels – international, regional, national, and subnational – and interprets relevant policy areas broadly to include, as examples, trade, finance, industry, agriculture, environment, law, health care, labor, science and technology, social policy, security, exchange rates, and macroeconomic management. WAGE also welcomes studies focused on social movements critical of globalization or raising questions of democratic accountability that accompany enhanced international interdependence.

The WAGE research assistantships will be granted to students who are completing doctoral dissertations on topics related to WAGE’s agenda. Research assistantships will be for spring semester 2009.They will provide a stipend of approximately $8014 plus tuition waiver and health benefits.

WAGE research assistants are free of teaching and other administrative duties. Their primary responsibility will be to work towards the completion of their doctorate. Research assistants are encouraged to cooperate with one or more WAGE-supported projects and may from time to be asked to participate in WAGE events.

Students from all disciplines, departments, and schools offering doctoral degrees at the UW-Madison are eligible. Candidates must be working on a topic related to globalization and its governance:

• be in good standing in their school or department
• have largely completed the research phase of their doctoral work
• have begun to write up the dissertation
• expect to complete the dissertation by January 2011, and
• be registered as a full-time student in Spring 2009.

To apply, students should send WAGE a cover letter describing their project and explaining how it relates to WAGE’s agenda, a 1000 word synopsis of the dissertation, and a curriculum vitae. In addition, students must submit two letters of recommendation, which are to be sent to WAGE separately. One letter must be from the dissertation committee chair who should address both the quality of the work and the likelihood of timely completion during the assistantship. A second letter should come from another member of the UW faculty, preferably someone who works on issues related to the WAGE agenda.

Submit all material electronically to wage@intl-institute.wisc.edu. Application material, other than the letters of recommendation, should be in a single file. All submissions, including letters, should carry the subject line “WAGE Research Assistantship” plus the applicant’s last name. Applications must be submitted no later than close of business, Monday, December 8.The selection committee’s decisions will be announced in late December. For further information, contact WAGE Associate Director, Dr. Alison Alter, by email at abalter@wisc.edu.