“Landlords grow rich in their sleep without working, risking or economizing. The increase in the value of land, arising as it does from the efforts of an entire community, should belong to the community and not to the individual who might hold title.”
2026 Land Economics Fellowship
Applications are now open. Due March 1st at Midnight.
Overview
We are seeking independent, curious, and analytically minded researchers to apply for the Center for Land Economics Land Economics Fellowship.
Ideal applicants are interested in investigating land speculation, land value, land value taxation (LVT), and related land-based economic questions through empirical analysis, descriptive research, or investigative and narrative-driven work. We welcome a wide range of perspectives, methods, and backgrounds, including researchers, analysts, journalists, and independent scholars.
This fellowship supports focused, time-blocked projects designed to produce clear, public-facing insights that push our understanding of land value forward.
The fellowship is grounded in a simple premise:
While full academic research often takes years, substantial insight can be generated through descriptive data analysis, investigative work, and narrative-driven research, particularly when applied to land.
Why Apply
The Land Economics Fellowship is designed to give you time, money, and a platform to pursue a focused land-related research project—and to help that work reach an audience that actually cares.
As a Fellow, you will receive:
A $3,000 stipend to support 4–6 months of dedicated, time-blocked research
A public platform for your work, including editorial and dissemination support from the Center for Land Economics
Direct access to CLE leadership, including Greg and Lars, for research guidance, feedback, and strategic input
Institutional backing to pursue projects that are difficult to do independently but don’t fit neatly into academic or journalistic pipelines
This fellowship is especially well-suited for any researcher (student, independent, or beyond) and writer who wants to produce substantive, public-facing work without committing to a multi-year academic process.
A note on scope:
The guidelines below are meant to be directional, not restrictive. If you have a project you’d want to pursue as a Land Economics Fellow—and you think it’s something we should fund—we encourage you to apply even if it does not fit neatly within the categories described here.
If your proposed project significantly departs from these guidelines, you may wish to reach out in advance at greg@landeconomics.org.
Fellowship Details
Duration: 4–6 months
Stipend: $3,000 total
Timing: Spring/Summer (flexible)
Application Due: March 1st at Midnight
Cohort Size: We anticipate a small cohort, and the exact size is tbd
Who Should Apply
The fellowship is open to anyone, regardless of formal credentials.
We expect strong applications from:
Data analysts, economists, and applied researchers
Predoctoral researchers, master’s students, or advanced undergraduates
Journalists or investigative researchers
Independent scholars or practitioners with strong analytical skills
No degree or institutional affiliation is required. Selection will be based on the proposal itself.
Research Scope & Themes
Projects should be empirical, descriptive, or investigative and directly related to:
Land value taxation (LVT) implementation or evaluation
Land value dynamics (assessment, capitalization, speculation, development patterns)
Property tax systems where land plays a central role
Land speculation instances and their impacts
Case studies that illuminate land value through data or narrative investigation.
Illustrative Settings (Non-Exhaustive)
Baden-Württemberg
Pennsylvania (including under-studied cities such as Altoona)
Estonia
Other jurisdictions or land contexts of interest
You may find this article helpful in thinking about research questions and settings. Projects do not need to study a pure LVT system and projects may be focused instead on exposing land speculation.
Advocacy projects will not be funded.
Expected Deliverables
Each fellow will produce at least one substantive public-facing deliverable, such as:
A research report or white paper
A data-driven case study
An investigative or journalistic report
A blog post accompanied by original analysis
A dataset, visualization, or reproducible analysis with written interpretation
The emphasis is on clarity, insight, and narrative power, not academic formalism.
Support from CLE
CLE may provide:
Assistance with data access, where feasible
Research guidance and feedback
Editorial and dissemination support for final outputs
Application Process
Round 1: Initial Screening
Applicants submit a 250-word proposal describing:
What they intend to study
How they intend to conduct the research
The expected deliverable(s)
Applicants also submit a resume or equivalent. We are not judging hard on resumes, instead we want to ensure applicants have the right skillset/experience to deliver on their project.
Round 2: Final Selection
Short-listed applicants will be invited to a second round for further discussion or clarification.
Why This Fellowship Exists
There are plenty of brilliant individuals interested in ideas around land, and we think we can provide them a platform for that work. CLE believes many important questions about land value can be explored through well-scoped, time-limited research, producing outputs that meaningfully advance the data and narrative around land economics. We also believe that we can provide the expertise and platform to make this work meaningful.