Welcome to my website! I am an Irish political philosopher, currently serving as academic director of the Ph.D. programme in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Hespérides University in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain. Besides directing the PPE Ph.D programme at Hespérides, I also teach courses in moral and political philosophy, and conduct research related to the moral and institutional underpinnings of a free society. I have a formal training in political theory and broad intellectual interests connected to the question, “what makes for a truly worthwhile human life, and what sort of society supports such a life?”

At the heart of my research is the question, what types of social and political systems might fare best at creating an environment propitious to peace and human flourishing under conditions of social and moral diversity, without going too far in suppressing the rich social ecology that makes a free and flourishing society possible? My diverse life experiences (having lived in Ireland, U.S., Mexico, continental Europe, and Africa) and collaborations with historians, jurists, philosophers and Ostromian economists, have enriched and broadened my perspective on the cultural and institutional basis for free and flourishing communities. In particular, I have become keenly sensitive to the limitations of top-down, Statist models of order and conversely, to the benefits of bottom-up, community-anchored approaches to the governance of social life. 

I have been awarded two major grants by Spain's State Research Agency (AEI) in recognition of an outstanding research career: a Ramón y Cajal fellowship (2017-2021) and an I3 talent retention grant (2022-24). In addition, my book, The Polycentric Republic, has won the 2025 Open Reason award, conferred by the Joseph Ratzinger Foundation and Francisco de Vitoria University for works that promote a fruitful dialogue between philosophy and modern science (including social science).

I earned my BA and MA in philosophy at University College Dublin, and my Ph.D. in political science at the University of Notre Dame. I have held several research and teaching positions, including Visiting Assistant Professor in Political Theory at Bucknell University (2006-07) and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Princeton University’s James Madison Program (2008-09), and researcher and lecturer at University of Navarra's Institute for Culture and Society (2012-2026) before Joining the faculty of Hespérides.

My research, which aims to develop an ethically rich and psychologically plausible theory of politics and social organisation, exposes the limitations of top-down, Statist models of order and the advantages of bottom-up, community-based approaches to the governance of social life. My working hypothesis is that a federated political and social order granting generous leeway for self-regulation by local and municipal associations and communities can provide a promising framework for solving social problems and living dignified, flourishing human lives.

My academic writings include The Polycentric Republic: A Theory of Civil Order for Free and Diverse Societies (Routledge, 2025), Citizenship and the Pursuit of the Worthy Life (Cambridge University Press, 2014), The Ethics of Citizenship in the 21st Century (edited volume, Springer, 2017), and numerous articles in leading academic journals such as the American Journal of Political Science, Political Theory, and Journal of Business Ethics. I am also co-editor (with Pablo Paniagua) of Polycentric Governance and the Good Society (Lexington Books, 2024).

My passion for the study of freedom goes hand in hand with a passion for promoting a deeper understanding of freedom and its preconditions beyond the "ivory tower." I have given many talks to non-academic audiences, published dozens of op eds on current affairs issues in newspapers such as The Irish Times, El Mundo, and The Conversation, served as an expert witness in the Council of Europe, and appeared on current affairs programmes such as Newstalk (an Irish radio station), TV3's Tonight Show (in Ireland), and GB News (in the UK). Last but not least, I run an independent blog about issues affecting freedom in the West, called The Freedom Blog.