I am a former occupational therapist turned philosopher, holding degrees in occupational therapy and moral and political philosophy. I am currently a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Montréal’s Centre de recherche en éthique (CRÉUM). Previously I taught political philosophy, moral philosophy and applied ethics at Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin. I've held several visiting fellowships at international institutions, including most recently a visiting professorship at the Department of Sociology (GSADI), Autonomous University of Barcelona and research fellowships at the Centre for the Study of Social Justice (CSSJ), Oxford University, the TCD Policy Institute and the Chaire Hoover d'éthique économique et sociale, Université Catholique de Louvain. My main research interests are in the interaction of philosophical analysis and policy development, with specific interest in welfare reform and employment regulation (in particular unconditional basic income), and more recently disability politics and public health issues, notably related to suicide regulation and organ procurement policy. During my stay at CRÉUM I will be completing a number of articles and an edited book project on basic income, as well as working on a specific proposal to promote organ procurement by focusing on the problem of the family veto. I am a Founding Editor of the interdisciplinary journal "Basic Income Studies", an Officer of the Association for Legal and Social Philosophy (ALSP), a Trustee of the UK Citizens' Income Trust (CIT) and an International Advisory Board member of the Basic Income Earth Network, after having served for many years on its Executive Committee.
Basic Income, Employment and Welfare Reform
The Handbook of Basic Income Research (with Jose Antonio Noguera, Yannick Vanderborght, and Karl Widerquist), edited volume, forthcoming with Blackwell Publishers (2009)
This Handbook will gather some of the most important readings on basic income from the...
Universal Basic Income: Reconsidering the Administrative Factor (with Lindsay Stirton) (2009)
This paper questions the facile manner in which advocates of an unconditional basic income assert...
Review Article: Recent Developments in the Basic Income Debate, in preparation for Journal of European Social Policy (2007)
This article reviews the current state of affairs in basic income research by looking in...
The Public Administration Case against Participation Income (with Lindsay Stirton), Social Service Review (2007)
Anthony Atkinson’s proposal for a participation income (PI) has been acclaimed as a workable compromise...
A Plea for the Use of Laboratory Experiments in Basic Income Research (with José Antonio Noguera), Basic Income Studies (2006)
In recent years interest in conducting a European basic income experiment, along the lines of...
Democratic Theory
Recognition, Equality and Democracy: Theoretical Perspectives on Irish Politics (with Cillian McBride and Shane O'Neill) (2008)
This volume brings together a range of theoretical responses to issues in Irish politics. Its...
Introduction: Theorising Politics (with Cillian McBride and Shane O'Neill), Irish Political Studies (2007)
This is the introduction to a special issue of Irish Political Studies on "Recognition, Equality,...
The Morality and Heuristics of Consent, Deliberation and Decision: Economics, Constitutional Theory and Deliberative Democracy (2004)
In this chapter I comment on Andreas Suchanek's paper "What is Meant by Consent", published...
Vlaanderen voor het Blok? Het electorale succes van extreem-rechts herbekeken (with Michael Wagemans), Samenleving en Politiek (2001)
This brief note explores the continuing rise of the Flemish Blok, the extreme right-wing party...
Disability Rights and Politics
Republican Political Theory and Disability Policy (with David Casassas) (2010)
The purpose of this paper is to offer a republican perspective on disability and disability...
Disability Rights in Ireland: Chronicle of a Missed Opportunity (with Judy Walsh), Irish Political Studies (2007)
This article critically examines the Disability Act 2005 which regulates access to public services for...
Rights or Policy? A Rights-based Approach to Disability Services (with Judy Walsh) (2006)
This paper explores the role and justification of rights-based models of service delivery for disabled...
Moral and Political Philosophy
Egalitarianism, Free-rider, and Utilitarianism, International Encyclopaedia in Social Policy (2006)
I have authored three entries in this multi-volume Encyclopediae on social policy.
Altruism, Impartiality and Moral Demands, The Ethics of Altruism (2004)
Advocates of altruism maintain that altruism is an inherently beneficial and, therefore, morally desirable motivational...
Altruism, Impartiality and Moral Demands, Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy (2002)
Advocates of altruism maintain that altruism is an inherently beneficial and, therefore, morally desirable motivational...
Een liberale weg naar het nationalisme?, Een Vierde Weg? Links-Liberalisme als traditie en oriëntatiepunt (2001)
This chapter explores the possibility of a liberal road to nationalism. The main challenge, I...
Public Health Ethics
Advance Commitment: An Alternative Approach to the Family Veto Problem in Organ Procurement (with Lindsay Stirton) (2009)
In this article we propose to tackle the current deficit in the supply of cadaveric...
Procuring Permission: The Case for Organ Transplant Tax Credits (with Lindsay Stirton) (2009)
The conventional wisdom amongst the organ transplant community is roughly constituted by three important beliefs....
The Regulation of Suicide: Ethics, Policy, and Public Health (2006)
Suicide is a major cause of medical, social and political concern in most countries. According...
A Paradox in the Justification of Public Smoking Restrictions (2006)
Following recent legislation in the Republic of Ireland and elsewhere, radical smoking restrictions have become...
The Abuse of Rights in Tobacco Control Debates (2006)
Recent debates on tobacco control illustrate how contemporary political argument abuses rights discourse, substituting claims...