Dr Nikolas Kirby

  • Lecturer in Politics and International Relations (Political & International Studies)

Biography

Nikolas Kirby is Lecturer in Politics and International Relations specialising in political philosophy. He is also a Fellow of the Centre for Public Policy at the Univeristy of Glasgow, and Trustee of Aurora UK. He is a co-founder and former Chair of Beyond Equality. 

Prior to Glasgow, Dr Kirby was Democracy Visiting Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School, and before that Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in Philosophy and Public Policy, and Director of the Building Integrity Programme, at the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University. He was educated at the University of Sydney (BA (Hons), LLB (Hons) and the University of Oxford (BPhil, DPhil) as a Rhodes Scholar. He has degrees in philosphy, politics and law.

Dr Kirby has published in leading journals such as Philosophy and Public Affairs, Journal of Politics, British Journal of Political Science, Law and Philosophy, Journal of Ethics and Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy. He is the co-editor How Can We Be Equals? (Oxford University Press) and editor of What is Good Government? (Oxford University Press). He was also co-author of an influential review of the Integrity Regime of the Australian Public Service.

Research interests

Political Theory

Political Philosophy

Moral Philosophy

Legal Theory

Legal Philosophy

 

Research groups

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2009
Number of items: 28.

2025

Kirby, Nikolas (2025) Good governance: a fiduciary model. Journal of Politics, 87(1), pp. 1-14. (doi: 10.1086/730736)

Kirby, Nikolas (2025) The ethics of corruption. In: Heywood, P., Kubbe, I. and Schwickerath, A. (eds.) Routledge Handbook on Corruption [2nd edition]. Routledge. (Accepted for Publication)

2024

Kirby, Nikolas (2024) Trust, trustworthiness and corporate governance. In: Clarke, Thomas, Khlif, Wafa and Ingley, Coral (eds.) Elgar Encyclopedia of Corporate Governance. Edward Elgar Publishing, p. 346. ISBN 9781839107054 (doi: 10.4337/9781839107061.ch135)

Kirby, Nikolas (2024) Unjust shadows: living with the burden of distrust. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 52(4), pp. 500-531. (doi: 10.1111/papa.12272)

Kirby, Nikolas (2024) Basic equality: Worth, luck, and weight. In: Floris, Giacomo and Kirby, Nikolas (eds.) How Can We Be Equals? Oxford University Press, pp. 175-198. ISBN 9780192871480 (doi: 10.1093/oso/9780192871480.003.0008)

Kirby, Nikolas (2024) The problem of basic equality: a constructive critique. Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy, 26(3), pp. 495-522. (doi: 10.26556/jesp.v26i3.2370)

Kirby, Nikolas and Floris, Giacomo (Eds.) (2024) How Can We Be Equals? Moral Equality: its Meaning, Justification, and Scope. Oxford University Press. (Accepted for Publication)

Kirby, Nikolas (Ed.) (2024) What is Good Government? The Philosophy of Office, Institutions and Administration. Oxford University Press. (Accepted for Publication)

Kirby, Nikolas (2024) Basic equality: worth, luck and weight. In: Kirby, Nikolas and Floris, G. (eds.) How Can We Be Equals? Moral Equality: its Meaning, Justification, and Scope. Oxford University Press. (Accepted for Publication)

Kirby, Nikolas (2024) Fiduciary governance. In: Kirby, Nikolas (ed.) What is Good Government? The Philosophy of Office, Institutions and Administration. Oxford University Press. (Accepted for Publication)

Kirby, Nikolas (2024) Good government: an introduction. In: Kirby, Nikolas (ed.) What is Good Government? The Philosophy of Office, Institutions and Administration. Oxford University Press. (Accepted for Publication)

Kirby, Nikolas and Floris, G. (2024) Basic equality: an analytical introduction. In: Kirby, Nikolas and Floris, G. (eds.) How Can We Be Equals? Moral Equality: its Meaning, Justification, and Scope. Oxford University Press. (Accepted for Publication)

2023

Kirby, Nikolas (2023) The institutional laundry: how the public may keep their hands clean. Journal of Ethics, 27(4), pp. 539-560. (doi: 10.1007/s10892-023-09450-9)

2021

Kirby, Nikolas (2021) Good governance: Contemporary issues in political philosophy. Philosophy Compass, 16(12), e12790. (doi: 10.1111/phc3.12790)

Kirby, Nikolas (2021) An ‘institution-first’ conception of public integrity. British Journal of Political Science, 51(4), pp. 1620-1635. (doi: 10.1017/S000712342000006X)

Kirby, Nikolas and Wolff, Jonathan (2021) “Quality of Government”: A philosophical assessment. In: Bågenholm, Andreas, Bauhr, Monika, Grimes, Marcia and Rothstein, Bo (eds.) Oxford Handbook of the Quality of Government. Oxford University Press: Oxford, pp. 41-62. ISBN 9780191890581 (doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198858218.013.4)

2020

Heywood, Paul M. and Kirby, Nikolas (2020) Public Integrity: From anti-corruption rhetoric to substantive moral ideal. Etica Pubblica: Studi su legalità e partecipazione, 1(2), pp. 11-31. (doi: 10.1400/281574)

Kirby, Nikolas (2020) From anti-corruption to building integrity. In: Greycar, Adam (ed.) Handbook on Corruption, Ethics and Integrity in Public Administration. Edward Elgar, pp. 463-482. ISBN 9781789900910 (doi: 10.4337/9781789900910.00041)

2019

Kirby, Nikolas and Webbe, Simone (2019) Being a trusted and respected partner: The APS integrity framework. Documentation. Australia and New Zealand School of Government.

Kirby, Nikolas and Kirton, Andrew (2019) Corporations, business and social trust. Documentation. British Council.

2018

Kirby, Nikolas, Kirton, Andrew and Crean, Aisling (2018) Do corporations have a duty to be trustworthy? Journal of the British Academy, 6(s1), pp. 75-129. (doi: 10.5871/jba/006s1.075)

Kirby, Nikolas and Webbe, Simone (2018) The Australian Public Service integrity regime. Documentation. Australia and New Zealand School of Government.

Kirby, Nikolas (2018) Two Concepts of Basic Equality. Res Publica, 24(3), pp. 297-318. (doi: 10.1007/s11158-017-9354-5)

Kirby, Nikolas (2018) Basic equality and social contract theory. In: Etieyibo, Edwin E. (ed.) Perspectives in Social Contract Theory. Series: Series II. African Philosophical Studies. Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, pp. 61-84. ISBN 9781565183315

Kirby, Nikolas, Robinson, Thomas and Cadzow, Lucinda (2018) Investigating integrity: a multi-disciplinary literature review. Working Paper. Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, Oxford.

2017

Kirby, Nikolas (2017) The service conception: Just one simple question. Law and Philosophy, 36(3), pp. 255-278. (doi: 10.1007/s10982-017-9292-6)

2016

Kirby, Nikolas (2016) Revising republican liberty: What is the difference between a disinterested gentle giant and a deterred criminal? Res Publica, 22(4), pp. 369-386. (doi: 10.1007/s11158-015-9277-y)

2009

Kirby, Nikolas (2009) When rights cause injustice: A critique of the Vexatious Proceedings Act 2008 (NSW). Sydney Law Review, 31(1),

This list was generated on Sun Jun 15 11:23:09 2025 BST.
Jump to: Articles | Book Sections | Edited Books | Research Reports or Papers
Number of items: 28.

Articles

Kirby, Nikolas (2025) Good governance: a fiduciary model. Journal of Politics, 87(1), pp. 1-14. (doi: 10.1086/730736)

Kirby, Nikolas (2024) Unjust shadows: living with the burden of distrust. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 52(4), pp. 500-531. (doi: 10.1111/papa.12272)

Kirby, Nikolas (2024) The problem of basic equality: a constructive critique. Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy, 26(3), pp. 495-522. (doi: 10.26556/jesp.v26i3.2370)

Kirby, Nikolas (2023) The institutional laundry: how the public may keep their hands clean. Journal of Ethics, 27(4), pp. 539-560. (doi: 10.1007/s10892-023-09450-9)

Kirby, Nikolas (2021) Good governance: Contemporary issues in political philosophy. Philosophy Compass, 16(12), e12790. (doi: 10.1111/phc3.12790)

Kirby, Nikolas (2021) An ‘institution-first’ conception of public integrity. British Journal of Political Science, 51(4), pp. 1620-1635. (doi: 10.1017/S000712342000006X)

Heywood, Paul M. and Kirby, Nikolas (2020) Public Integrity: From anti-corruption rhetoric to substantive moral ideal. Etica Pubblica: Studi su legalità e partecipazione, 1(2), pp. 11-31. (doi: 10.1400/281574)

Kirby, Nikolas, Kirton, Andrew and Crean, Aisling (2018) Do corporations have a duty to be trustworthy? Journal of the British Academy, 6(s1), pp. 75-129. (doi: 10.5871/jba/006s1.075)

Kirby, Nikolas (2018) Two Concepts of Basic Equality. Res Publica, 24(3), pp. 297-318. (doi: 10.1007/s11158-017-9354-5)

Kirby, Nikolas (2017) The service conception: Just one simple question. Law and Philosophy, 36(3), pp. 255-278. (doi: 10.1007/s10982-017-9292-6)

Kirby, Nikolas (2016) Revising republican liberty: What is the difference between a disinterested gentle giant and a deterred criminal? Res Publica, 22(4), pp. 369-386. (doi: 10.1007/s11158-015-9277-y)

Kirby, Nikolas (2009) When rights cause injustice: A critique of the Vexatious Proceedings Act 2008 (NSW). Sydney Law Review, 31(1),

Book Sections

Kirby, Nikolas (2025) The ethics of corruption. In: Heywood, P., Kubbe, I. and Schwickerath, A. (eds.) Routledge Handbook on Corruption [2nd edition]. Routledge. (Accepted for Publication)

Kirby, Nikolas (2024) Trust, trustworthiness and corporate governance. In: Clarke, Thomas, Khlif, Wafa and Ingley, Coral (eds.) Elgar Encyclopedia of Corporate Governance. Edward Elgar Publishing, p. 346. ISBN 9781839107054 (doi: 10.4337/9781839107061.ch135)

Kirby, Nikolas (2024) Basic equality: Worth, luck, and weight. In: Floris, Giacomo and Kirby, Nikolas (eds.) How Can We Be Equals? Oxford University Press, pp. 175-198. ISBN 9780192871480 (doi: 10.1093/oso/9780192871480.003.0008)

Kirby, Nikolas (2024) Basic equality: worth, luck and weight. In: Kirby, Nikolas and Floris, G. (eds.) How Can We Be Equals? Moral Equality: its Meaning, Justification, and Scope. Oxford University Press. (Accepted for Publication)

Kirby, Nikolas (2024) Fiduciary governance. In: Kirby, Nikolas (ed.) What is Good Government? The Philosophy of Office, Institutions and Administration. Oxford University Press. (Accepted for Publication)

Kirby, Nikolas (2024) Good government: an introduction. In: Kirby, Nikolas (ed.) What is Good Government? The Philosophy of Office, Institutions and Administration. Oxford University Press. (Accepted for Publication)

Kirby, Nikolas and Floris, G. (2024) Basic equality: an analytical introduction. In: Kirby, Nikolas and Floris, G. (eds.) How Can We Be Equals? Moral Equality: its Meaning, Justification, and Scope. Oxford University Press. (Accepted for Publication)

Kirby, Nikolas and Wolff, Jonathan (2021) “Quality of Government”: A philosophical assessment. In: Bågenholm, Andreas, Bauhr, Monika, Grimes, Marcia and Rothstein, Bo (eds.) Oxford Handbook of the Quality of Government. Oxford University Press: Oxford, pp. 41-62. ISBN 9780191890581 (doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198858218.013.4)

Kirby, Nikolas (2020) From anti-corruption to building integrity. In: Greycar, Adam (ed.) Handbook on Corruption, Ethics and Integrity in Public Administration. Edward Elgar, pp. 463-482. ISBN 9781789900910 (doi: 10.4337/9781789900910.00041)

Kirby, Nikolas (2018) Basic equality and social contract theory. In: Etieyibo, Edwin E. (ed.) Perspectives in Social Contract Theory. Series: Series II. African Philosophical Studies. Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, pp. 61-84. ISBN 9781565183315

Edited Books

Kirby, Nikolas and Floris, Giacomo (Eds.) (2024) How Can We Be Equals? Moral Equality: its Meaning, Justification, and Scope. Oxford University Press. (Accepted for Publication)

Kirby, Nikolas (Ed.) (2024) What is Good Government? The Philosophy of Office, Institutions and Administration. Oxford University Press. (Accepted for Publication)

Research Reports or Papers

Kirby, Nikolas and Webbe, Simone (2019) Being a trusted and respected partner: The APS integrity framework. Documentation. Australia and New Zealand School of Government.

Kirby, Nikolas and Kirton, Andrew (2019) Corporations, business and social trust. Documentation. British Council.

Kirby, Nikolas and Webbe, Simone (2018) The Australian Public Service integrity regime. Documentation. Australia and New Zealand School of Government.

Kirby, Nikolas, Robinson, Thomas and Cadzow, Lucinda (2018) Investigating integrity: a multi-disciplinary literature review. Working Paper. Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, Oxford.

This list was generated on Sun Jun 15 11:23:09 2025 BST.

Grants

2025-28     University of Sydney-University of Glasgow Joint PhD Project Funding: A Normative and Empirical Assessment of Australian Anti-Corruption Agencies

2018-20     Early Career Research Fellow, Leverhulme Trust and John Fell Fund (£150K): Investigating the relationship between trust, distrust and government legitimacy.

2019           Principal Investigator, ‘Trust, Integrity and the Future of the Corporation,’ British Academy, (£20K): Investigating whether corporations have a moral duty to be trustworthy.

2018           Principal Investigator, ‘Building a Concept of Institutional Integrity, Economic and Social Research Council, (£7.5K): Bringing together leading practitioners and academics to engage on understanding public integrity.

Supervision

I am open to PhD proposals within most areas of political philosophy and political theory.