NSF Grants
(Special Message)

The Law & Social Sciences (LSS) Program at the National Science Foundation is pleased to announce the release of a new funding solicitation (see http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504727) and an associated Dear Colleague Letter (see http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12022/nsf12022.jsp).

The LSS program supports social scientific studies of law and law-like systems of rules. Successful proposals describe research that advances scientific theory and understanding of the connections between law or legal processes and human behavior. The program funds the best proposals submitted within the field broadly defined, regardless of specific subfield, and strives to support an interdisciplinary community of scholars studying relevant topics. Fields of study include many disciplines (including anthropology, communication, criminology, economics, legal scholarship, political science, public policy, psychology, and sociology), and often address significant problems including though not limited to: Crime, Violence and Punishment; Economic Issues; Governance; Legal Decision Making; Legal Mobilization and Conceptions of Justice; and Litigation and the Legal Profession.

The LSS program offers several modes of funding, including support for graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and research faculty in both the social science and law school academies. The program is particularly interested in enhancing its support of JD/PhD scholars in the law school academy, as outlined in a recent Dear Colleague Letter.

Questions regarding the LSS program or proposal submissions may be directed to the program officers, Dr. Christian Meissner (cmeissne@nsf.gov) or Dr. Susan Sterett (ssterett@nsf.gov).