Princeton University

Specialization: Political theory; republicanism; global governance; international distributive justice

M.A., Politics, Princeton University; M.Sc., Social and Political Theory, University of Edinburgh; M.A., Psychology, University of Edinburgh

Thesis Title: Reducing Domination in Global Politics

Committee: Charles Beitz; Philip Pettit; Alan Patten

Abstract: My dissertation explores the problem of political injustice in the global sphere, and articulates an approach to normative global governance that has at its core the republican ideal of non-domination. In the definition that I employ, an agent is dominated to the extent that she is exposed to the ability of another agent to interfere arbitrarily in her affairs, that is, without having to track her avowed or avowable interests. I argue that non-domination is a satisfying candidate for a global normative political ideal, because it captures something in which individuals around the world have a clear interest. In the current era of political and economic globalization, relations between states and other actors - global institutions, corporations, non-governmental organizations, and other states - are frequently characterized by domination. I contend that states will be unable to protect their citizens from domination when acting unilaterally, and that global domination must instead be addressed by public global institutions, such as the International Criminal Court or the United Nations General Assembly, without such institutions becoming sources of domination themselves. In order for these institutions to track individuals' interests, constitutional measures that enable democratic contestation and improve accountability must be implemented. The dissertation thus offers recommendations for institutional change in light of the normative values implied by the ideal of non-domination.

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Link to: Curriculum Vitae