The Rockefeller Foundation awarded it's first "trip to America" scholarship to an economist in Austria in 1924. Perhaps there were earlier scholarships given to economists in Germany or some other Continental country. Among the Austrians, Hayek was awarded the first scholarship, but declined it (he'd found out about the award only after returning to Vienna from NY.) Those who got Rockefeller's included Gottfried Haberler, Oskar Morgenstern and Fritz Machlup. Greg Ransom