Staff Profile

I am a Lecturer in Political Philosophy in the Department of Politics at Newcastle University. My research focuses on theories of justice and equality, with particular attention to interdisciplinary and applied approaches that bridge Politics, Philosophy, and Economics.

Prior to joining Newcastle University, I was a Teaching Fellow in Politics and International Studies (PAIS) at the University of Warwick and a Lecturer in Political Philosophy at the University of Manchester. I have also held visiting research fellowships in the Department of Politics at the University of Oxford and in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

I hold a PhD in Political Philosophy from the University of Manchester.

My research lies in contemporary normative political philosophy, with a particular focus on justice, equality, and exploitation. I work at the intersection of political philosophy, public policy, and applied ethics, especially where questions of time, age, and intergenerational relations reshape our understanding of injustice.

My research focuses on the following areas:

• Theories of social and distributive justice and equality

• Exploitation

• Intergenerational justice

• Policy and institutional design for younger and future generations

• Business ethics

• Climate change ethics

I am interested in supervising doctoral research in all areas of contemporary normative political philosophy.

Current PhD Students:

Christina Li

My current work focuses on:

• Book project on exploitation and time, developing an account of how exploitation is reproduced over time and across age groups, including between present and future generations

• Exploitation of young influencers on social media platforms

• Relational harms experienced by young users on social media platforms and implications for regulatory reform

• Book project on climate debt and future debt relations

• Public debt and obligations to future generations

• Institutional and policy design for future generations (with Graham Long)

• Population ageing

Alongside my academic research, I work with Save the Children and the UN Global Compact Impact Coalition, and I am a member of the University Coalition for Future Generations working group.

In 2023–24, I was a Visiting Researcher in the Department of Politics at the University of Oxford.

In 2025–26, I am a Visiting Researcher in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

POL8067: Moral Limits of the Markets: Theoretical Foundations

POL8068: Moral Limits of the Markets: Public Policy

POL3050: Ethics Across Borders & Time

BA and MA Dissertation Supervision

• Articles

  • Mulkeen N. Power and future people’s freedom: intergenerational domination, a role-based model. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy 2025, 28(3), 500-525.
  • Mulkeen N. Intergenerational harm and injustice in ageing democracies: a defence of age-weighted referendums and intergenerational Commissions. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy 2025, epub ahead of print.
  • Mulkeen N. The Semi-Future Democracy: Governing for the Future in Liberal Democracies [Book review]. Res Publica 2025, Epub ahead of print.
  • Mulkeen, N. Treating Young and Old as Equals: Basic Income and Relational Equality. Law, Ethics and Philosophy 2023, 144-159.
  • Mulkeen, N. Intergenerational Exploitation. Political Studies 2023, 71(3), 756-775. In Preparation.
  • Mulkeen, N. Exploitation: Bridging Social and Distributive Egalitarianism. Political Studies 2020, 68(4), 954-972. In Preparation.
  • Mulkeen N. Rescuing Self-Ownership: Tackling the Pollution Problem. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy 2019, 22(6), 660-680.

• Authored Books

  • Mulkeen N. Carbon, Credit, and the Politics of an Unequal Future. 2028. In Preparation.
  • Mulkeen N. Exploitation & Time. 2026. In Preparation.

• Book Chapter

  • Mulkeen N. Exploitation Across Time: Climate Change, Public Debt, and Resource Depletion. In: Benjamin Ferguson and Matt Zwolinski, ed. Exploitation: Perspectives from Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024, pp.139-159.

• Online Publication

  • Mulkeen N. Government debt won’t necessarily burden future generations – but austerity will. London: The Conversation Trust, 2022. Available at: https://doi.org/10.64628/AB.6y3evn37h.