Nature of Law
My research explores the nature of law, with particular attention to the social foundations of legal systems. I am interested in how law can be understood as a social artifact and in how legal institutions depend not only on the activities of officials but also on the practices and attitudes of ordinary citizens. More broadly, I examine how these social foundations bear on traditional questions in general jurisprudence concerning the existence, identity, and authority of law.
Social Ontology
I study social ontology from the perspective of non-ideal theory. My research examines how social entities, institutions, and practices are constituted, maintained, and transformed under actual social conditions, including conditions marked by disagreement, unequal power, and imperfect compliance. I am particularly interested in the ontology of social artifacts and in how their functions and identities are shaped not only by collective attitudes and institutional structures but also by the social practices in which they are embedded.
Rule of Law
My research on the rule of law focuses on the social conditions under which legal order can constrain arbitrary power. I am particularly interested in the role of private actors and ordinary citizens in sustaining the rule of law, and in moving beyond accounts that focus primarily on courts, legislatures, and other public institutions. This research connects jurisprudential questions about the nature of law with normative questions about the kind of legal and social practices required for a non-arbitrary legal order.