Research

I'm currently working on the question whether social asymmetries are compatible with the moral and democratic equality between persons. Which ones are compatible, and which ones do we judge morally problematic - and why? Connected to that, I am interested in the role of emerging technologies within those social asymmetries: How and when does technology exacerbate them? Under what circumstances can we use technology to alleviate problematic social asymmetries?

I have also written on questions of legitimacy, political authority, and punishment. In my book with the title ‘The Right to Punish’ (2024, Cambridge University Press), I develop an argument for the political authority of the International Criminal Court. In short, I argue that international institutions that punish massive human rights violations possess legitimate authority in virtue of their capacity to deter future crimes. However, because there can be disagreement about how to achieve this end, courts must - to a certain extent - include democratic elements into their institutional structure.