Lecturer job news

Sometimes people post news like this as 'personal' but it is more professional really, but the big news from me is that I've been appointed as a lecturer in Lifelong Learning at the University of Oxford.

Going into my doctorate I did not expect to get a permanent academic job, knowing how competitive they are with so many talented and hard-working people going for a small number of positions. 

So I'm still quite shocked, really, and aware that I am very fortunate to be in this position. 

I have worked hard in recent years and am very passionate about adult education, which I think my colleagues have recognised, but I know that all the support that I have received from my family and Katy have been absolutely crucial to get me to this position. 

In a way not much will change: I'll be largely offering the same sorts of courses for adults that I have been in recent years, the list of which can be found on the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education website. Only now I will be doing so as a permanent lecturer rather than a temporary tutor. 

However, I will be discussing the scope for increasing the Political Philosophy provision in the future, so do watch this space!

Jeans

A student mentioned something a few months ago about the environmental impact of a pair of jeans. 

I was already vaguely aware of this issue having read something in a newspaper many years ago. 

However, being reminded of it spurred me into action, as I had run out of jeans that did not have some sort of rip in them.  

I found a local tailor/seamstress who did a great job patching up four pairs of jeans for the price of one new pair. 

Hopefully I will have many more years of wear out of these jeans. 

Make do and mend, and if you can't mend then find someone who can! 

My Zero Carbon Action!

Another announcement from me: I'm now the trustee of a charity!

The charity is a development of the work of my friend and neighbour Ingo Schüder in spreading positive messages about the net zero transition and the little changes each of us can do to help get there. 

Last month we heard from the charity commission that we were successful in the application to become a charity. 

I see the achievement of net zero as a moral necessity, but achieving it is a huge undertaking from where we were (and still are). 

If you would like to donate money or put yourself forward as a volunteer/director then do go to the website. 

Make sure to follow MyZeroCarbon on your preferred social media platform and like and share the posts!

 

Book Chapter on Taxation, democracy and legitimacy

I'm really pleased that I've had a chapter included in a new book Taxation, Citizenship and Democracy in the 21st Century edited by Yvette Lind  and Reuven Avi-Yonah (Edward Elgar).

My Chapter (the second in the volume) is "Democratic legitimacy, sovereignty, and international taxation" and it highlights the way that we think about tax and democracy is challenged when we approach the issue from an international perspective. 

Taxation is usually linked to citizenship and democracy. However, there is not a global political system or democracy through which people can express their preferences on taxation on a global basis. That is well appreciated, but at the same time the policies decided in one capital city will impact upon people beyond the border. 

Those who believe that democracy confers legitimacy will be troubled by the fact that the outsiders do not get a vote in a decision that impacts them. Does this mean that we should set up a global electorate when it comes to matters of taxation? Or can some less extreme and perhaps undesirable alternative render the global tax rules legitimate? 

In the chapter I argue that taxation should be subject to international agreements that are negotiated with regard to minimal standards of legitimacy. These do not require full democratic participation, but some other mechanism is then necessary to ensure that the system is justified to all impacted by it. 

I look forward to further discussions with others on this thorny topic, and if anyone has any comments feel free to put them below!