Cambridge Political Economy Society Trust

The Cambridge Political Economy Society Trust advances public education and rigorous research in political economy, fostering critical inquiry that informs theory, policy, and real-world economic dynamics through intellectually independent, empirically grounded scholarship. Established with a commitment to challenging orthodox economics, its core values emphasize empirical rigour, methodological pluralism, critical analysis, interdisciplinary perspectives, history of economic thought, and policy relevance, believing transformative impact arises from realistic, heterodox approaches that innovate methodologies, stimulate debate, and address social-political-economic interrelations via evidence-based critique and dissemination.

It prioritizes funding research projects in heterodox economics, policy analysis, interdisciplinary economic studies, methodological innovation, and historical analysis of economic thought, supporting postgraduate researchers including PhD students and academic staff pursuing dissertations on critical economic themes, empirical investigations of real economic systems, social relations, unconventional policy evaluations, and collaborative initiatives like research competitions with university journals and centres. Activities encompass supplementary research support for dissertation completion, emergency aid for fieldwork or data analysis, dissemination through publications in Cambridge Journal of Economics and related outlets, theoretical advancements in political economy, applied studies on economic inequality, labour markets, regional economies, and societal impacts of policy, alongside training in pluralistic economic methodologies to empower early-career scholars addressing poverty dynamics, market failures, and institutional reforms through rigorous, policy-oriented inquiry.

Exclusions include abstract theoretical work detached from empirical reality, organizational core funding, capital costs, or projects outside political economy's critical, heterodox scope; it avoids generalist social services, mainstream orthodox economics, or non-Cambridge-based applicants. Distinctive for its niche embedding in Cambridge's political economy ecosystem, it uniquely champions PhD students and staff embodying realism, paradigm-challenging critique, and policy-engaged innovation, prioritizing beneficiaries developing evidence on economic-social crises, heterodox alternatives, and interdisciplinary solutions over conventional paradigms.