Fiscal and Monetary Policy Boot Camp for Doctoral Students

May 7–8, 2026 — Cambridge, MA

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), with the support of the National Science Foundation, will host a Fiscal and Monetary Policy Research Boot Camp in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 7–8, 2026. This intensive two-day workshop is designed for economics PhD students who are beginning or conducting research on fiscal policy, monetary policy, and their interactions, broadly interpreted. The program will combine lectures by leading researchers with poster sessions at which students can present their own work. Confirmed lecturers include NBER affiliates Francesco Bianchi (John Hopkins University), Corinna Boar (New York University), the boot camp organizer, Luigi Bocola (Stanford University), and Christian Wolf (MIT). Each day will feature two in-depth lectures on recent theoretical and empirical developments in the analysis of fiscal and monetary policy. Participation is limited to admitted applicants.

The boot camp is designed to promote new research activity in this area and to help students connect frontier methods and current policy debates to their own projects. Applicants must have successfully completed the first year of their PhD program. Those in the third, fourth, and fifth years of their respective programs will be given priority for participation. 

Participants are expected to carefully prepare for the workshop by reading a set of background papers that will be circulated in advance and by preparing a poster on a research project. The “project” can be early-stage work. There will be opportunities for networking among student participants and between students and faculty. The boot camp will be limited to at most 25 students, whose travel and lodging expenses will be reimbursed subject to NBER reimbursement guidelines and caps. Participants will be accommodated for up to three nights. 

To apply to attend the boot camp, current PhD students should prepare the following materials, in this order, in a single PDF file:

  1. A cover letter that includes complete contact information, current institution, year in the PhD program, and the name and email address of a faculty member who can provide a recommendation if the applicant is shortlisted for participation.
  2. A curriculum vitae, including a list of all current and completed PhD courses.
  3. A statement of no more than two pages explaining the rationale for attending the boot camp. This should include:
    • A brief description of the applicant’s current and planned research,
    • How this research relates to fiscal and/or monetary policy, and
    • How participation in the boot camp would benefit the applicant’s work.
  4. If appropriate, a one-page abstract and provisional title for a potential poster presentation.

Applications should be submitted via the Google Forms link no later than 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, February 4, 2026:

In fairness to all applicants, late applications will not be accepted. Acceptance decisions will be announced by February 2026.

Questions about the scientific program for the workshop may be directed to Professor Luigi Bocola at lbocola@stanford.edu. Logistical questions about this meeting should be directed to confer@nber.org.