Overview
My research cuts across democratic theory and comparative politics. My first book investigated the paradoxical ethical dilemmas raised by antidemocratic opposition to democratic government (A Theory of Militant Democracy, Yale University Press, 2014). My second book explores the value of legitimate opposition, a practice under threat across the globe. It has the imaginative title: Legitimate Opposition (Yale University 2022). And it is the first full-scale analysis of the history and character of this practice in 50 years.
My current research explores the character of undemocratic regimes and the virtue of robustness to political philosophy.
My current research explores the character of undemocratic regimes and the virtue of robustness to political philosophy.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Professor of Political Science
·
2025 - Present
Political Science,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Recent Publications
Why Political Philosophy Should Be Robust
Journal Article American Political Science Review · November 1, 2024 Political philosophers and theorists make arguments about high-stakes problems. This article shows that those theories would be more credible if political philosophers ensured their work was robust: capable of withstanding reasonable changes to their assum ... Full text CiteLegitimate opposition
Book · September 20, 2022 In political systems defined by legitimate opposition, those who hold power allow their rivals to peacefully challenge and displace them, and those who have lost power do not seek to sabotage the winners. Legitimate opposition came under assault at the Ame ... Full text CiteCan liberal integrity handle disagreement? Perhaps not
Journal Article Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy · January 1, 2021 Can liberal integrity handle disagreement? I suggest that it cannot. Shmuel Nili’ s The People’s Duty outlines a pedagogical approach to collective, liberal integrity–Nili claims that individuals act with integrity when they accept and act on the right pro ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Challenges to Mass Democracy: social inequalities and fragmentation in large-scale liberal democracies
ConferenceCoordinator · Awarded by FACE Foundation · 2017 - 2019View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
Yale University ·
2011
Ph.D.