What Mercatus Center does
Mercatus Center at George Mason University is a university-affiliated research center that aims to bridge academic ideas and real-world problems through market-oriented and classical-liberal economics and policy analysis. Mercatus describes itself as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that is led by a faculty director appointed by George Mason University’s provost, while operating independently from George Mason University and from federal, state, and local government financial support. Its work spans law, regulation, and economics, with explicit emphasis on areas such as technology and innovation, including artificial intelligence policy education and analysis. Over time, Mercatus has also developed talent and training pipelines—graduate through postdoctoral/early-career programs and structured fellowships—and it administers grant programs such as Emergent Ventures, including an AI-focused vertical. In 2024–2026, Mercatus continued to expand its talent/fellowship initiatives (e.g., 1991 Fellowship, Emerging Scholars Program) and reinforced its AI-oriented institutional presence (including an AI Research Assistant for its publications website).