I have three interconnected research interests.
My main research examines military institutions, their variation and operation, and their normative justifications. A special emphasis of my research is on the idea of substantial citizen involvement in the military – for example, through forms of conscription – its relation to civilian control and military effectiveness, and likely trade-offs between those.
I also work on theories of citizenship, with a focus on the obligations of citizens. I focus on various normative theories of civic duty, including republicanism and civic liberalism, and their institutional applications.
A further strand of my research concerns the theory and practice of taxation. I am especially interested in the link of taxation to conceptions of citizenship, democracy, and redistributive justice.
I explore these research interests through the means of institutional political theory. This approach bridges political science and political theory by placing formal institutions, their logic, variation, and ethical evaluation front and centre. Being trained as a political scientist and historian of political thought, I bring a strong empirical and historical sensibility to these matters.
Shared Burdens? Civic Duty, Democracy, and the Nation-State in Modern Germany and America (book manuscript, in preparation for submission)
‘Evaluating Military Institutions: Towards a New Framework’ (draft in progress)
‘Conceptualising Civic Duty’ (draft in progress)
The Democratic Military: Reimagining the Armed Forces in Times of War
Supported by a Walter Benjamin Postdoctoral Fellowship, German Research Foundation (DFG)
The research project examines the character, normative credentials, and potential reform of standing military establishments (SMEs) in liberal democracies, chiefly in the Western world. It aims to address an underexplored issue in political theory, leveraging the latter’s potential to provide insights into the factual and desirable character and role of the military in liberal democracies. The project’s objectives are threefold: First, to provide a better understanding of the varied roles and designs of SMEs in liberal democratic settings. Second, to arrive at a normative assessment of the different military arrangements identified, offering reasons to favour some over others. And third, in light of the institutional and normative analysis, to explore potential reform options and public policy recommendations.
Contributing to the Commonwealth. Civic Duties in Modern Germany and the United States
Awarded the grade summa cum laude, and the Faculty of Social Science’s 2023/24 award for best doctoral dissertation
The dissertation analyses the development of ideas and institutions of citizen duties in Germany and the United States from the late nineteenth century to the early twenty-first. The focus is on three legal obligations of citizenship: taxation, compulsory military service, and compulsory schooling. By reconstructing the political ideas of key thinkers and political actors, while synthesising disparate strands of research literature, the dissertation provides a novel perspective on the understanding and institutional reality of modern citizenship.