Social Justice, Predistribution and the Democratization of Capital: Political Theory and the Future of Social Democracy

This is a major research project in normative political philosophy, addressing the justice and justification of a number of specific real-world economic institutions. Its aim is to make fuller sense of emerging ideas of “predistribution”, questioning whether predistributive strategies can generate a positive direction for future progress towards more just and democratic societies. In particular, the primary area of examination will be designing and realizing a more democratic financial system, with a particular focus on the justifiability and plausibility of ideas relating to the democratization of capital investment.

Democracy at Work: Power, Voice and Employment in the 21st Century

Work is a central domain of human activity. Our working lives help to mould our character, and play an often-decisive role in whether our not we are able to succeed in the development and pursuit of our life-plans. Work can be a site of human liberation, and can provide opportunities for cooperative self-development. Alternatively, it can be a domain of oppression and domination, and can stultify rather than facilitate human flourishing.

Exit, Voice and Solidarity: Economic Stakeholders in Contemporary Democratic Capitalism

With Pierre-Yves Néron & Jurgen De Wispelaere

This research project explores key questions in the democratic governance of contemporary economic institutions, notably labour markets regulation and the welfare state. The underlying assumption is that contemporary capitalist governance marginalizes, excludes and disenfranchises large parts of the population in what has been aptly dubbed the “winner-takes-all-society” (Hacker and Pierson, 2011). The re-enfranchisement of economic stakeholders remains one of the key challenges in political theory, economic philosophy and business ethics.