The Polson Institute plays an integral role in supporting doctoral level research in Development Sociology. Graduate students benefit from participation in Research Working Groups, and the Institute has established a program to provide financial support to PhD candidates for certain dissertation-related purposes during critical times when resources are difficult to obtain from other on- and off-campus sources. Polson Institute dissertation support should not be considered as a way of “topping off” funding from other sources such as the Einaudi Center. Nor should it be a substitute for summer funding that is already available through a cooperative venture between the Graduate School and local sources (the graduate field of Development Sociology, the Polson/Larson Fund, individual faculty members, etc.).
The Institute will provide resources for the following two purposes:
Exploratory field work (domestic and/or international), consultation with data providing organizations such as the UN, the U.S. Census Bureau, the ICPSR, the World Bank, etc., and/or travel to establish professional connections necessary for subsequent dissertation-related field or archival research.
Write-up following the return from field data collection and/or secondary data analysis associated with Ph.D. research.
APPLICATION/SELECTION PROCESS
Six awards of up to $2200 each will be made each year. Students are eligible
for one exploratory or one write up grant during their doctoral
studies in Development Sociology at Cornell. Students submit a brief proposal
to obtain support. Proposals are evaluated by a committee of faculty and
advanced graduate students in Development Sociology. The proposal should
include the following information:
For Exploratory Research:
Background and significance: This section should situate the research within
a general substantive area in the discipline of sociology. It should
discuss the theoretical and empirical traditions that shape and
motivate the research, and, where relevant, the policy issues raised
by the research.
Research goals: What explicit goals will be accomplished by the research? What specific questions does the dissertation investigate? How will the research extend previous research on the topic; fill gaps in the existing research literature; resolve disputes among scholars working in the substantive area?
Research design: What methodological approach will be utilized in the dissertation? Why do you choose this approach? Describe the nature of the data used and/or collected, indicate the methods used to analyze these data, and why you chose this approach.
Budget plan: Describe the items and services for which the funds are requested. Simply identify the general categories of expenditure anticipated. A detailed budget is not required.
Other support:
List other sources of on- and off-campus financial support you have already obtained or plan to seek.
What will be done? What contacts will be made? What data sets obtained? What methodological and/or theoretical issues will be clarified? What logistical arrangements will be made?
Expected completion date: When do you expect to complete your dissertation, and when do you anticipate would be a good time to present a departmental seminar on your work?
FOR WRITE-UP AWARDS
Background and significance: This section should situate the research
within a general substantive area in the discipline of sociology. It should discuss the
theoretical and empirical traditions that shape and motivate the research, and,
where relevant, the policy issues raised by the research.
Budget plan: Describe the items and services for which the funds are requested. Simply identify the general categories of expenditure anticipated. A detailed budget is not required.
Other support: List other sources of on- and off-campus financial support you have already obtained or plan to seek.
Expected completion date: When do you expect to complete your dissertation, and when do you anticipate would be a good time to present a departmental seminar on your work?
Advisor's Letter of Reference:
Proposals must be accompanied by a letter from the candidate's PhD dissertation
advisor. This letter should indicate that this is the appropriate time
for the candidate to undertake exploratory research, or that the candidate
is sufficiently far along to benefit from a write-up award. For write-up
awards, the advisor should confirm that the candidate's prediction of
a completion date is realistic.
Proposals for exploratory research should not exceed 7 double-spaced typed pages, including references, tables and figures. Write-up proposals should not exceed 3 double-spaced typed pages.
Submission:
There are two due dates each year: February 1 and October 1. Proposals
can be submitted as MS Word attachments via e-mail [to
PIGD@cornell.edu].
Exploratory research grants: Students are eligible to apply for exploratory research support for a period of 18 months following their change of status (or entry into Development Sociology for students accepted directly into the Ph.D. program), and the acceptance of their dissertation proposal by their special committee. Applications must be accompanied by a letter of support from the candidate’s dissertation advisor indicating that she/he is in good standing with the Field of Development Sociology, and has successfully defended her/his dissertation proposal.
Write-up grants: Students are eligible for write up assistance for a period of one year following a student’s return to Ithaca after conducting field work. For students who do not conduct field work for their dissertation, funds are available for one year following the successful development of a primary or secondary dissertation data base. Students are not eligible for write-up assistance if they have previously obtained Polson Institute funding for exploratory research. Applications must include a letter of support from the candidate’s academic advisor indicating that she/he is in good standing with the Field of Development Sociology.
Students will have one year to spend these funds after they are awarded. After one year, any unspent or uncommitted monies will be recovered by the Polson Institute. Students will be given sufficient notice before funds are swept back to the Institute.
Polson Institute support should be acknowledged in the student's dissertation.
Students are expected to make a public presentation of work resulting from this grant. Students are also expected to prepare a brief description of their research for the Institute’s web site.
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