Christian Barry is professor of philosophy in the School of Philosophy at the Research School of Social Sciences (RSSS), Australian National University, and co-editor of the Journal of Political Philosophy.
His research focuses on ethical theory, philosophy of action, and international justice. His recent work includes a book with Sanjay Reddy, International Trade and Labour Standards: A Proposal for Linkage (Columbia University Press, 2008), and articles in Philosophy & Public Affairs, Journal of Political Philosophy, Journal of Moral Philosophy, Politics, Philosophy and Economics, Review of International Studies, International Affairs, and Carnegie Council's journal, Ethics & International Affairs.
His latest book, Responding to Global Poverty: Harm, Responsibility and Agency, (co-authored with Gerhard Øverland) was published by Cambridge University Press in 2016. He currently holds an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant for the project The Ethical Responsiblities of Consumers.
Prior to joining the ANU, Barry was a program officer at Carnegie Council (Justice & the World Economy), and editor of Ethics & International Affairs, a consultant to the Human Development Report Office at the United Nations Development Programme, and a lecturer in politics and international relations at University College Dublin.
He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia University, where he was a fellow at the Center for Law and Philosophy.
Featured Work
OCT 7, 2009 • Podcast
Hilary Charlesworth on Bills of Rights
What does a country gain by enacting a bill of rights? Do countries that lack bills of rights, like Australia, protect human rights as well ...
AUG 22, 2009 • Podcast
Michael Selgelid on Infectious Diseases
Can we infringe individual rights to promote public health? Should, say, people be allowed to decide for themselves when they are too infectious to get ...
APR 24, 2009 • Article
Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: The G-20's Global Hit-and-Run
The economic crisis has been compared to familiar catastrophes such as the sinking Titanic and a tsunami. But the car crash analogy works much better ...
APR 3, 2009 • Podcast
Public Ethics Radio: David Singh Grewal on Network Power
To explain how power can be at work in apparently voluntary processes, Grewal introduces the concept of "network power." He argues that this dynamic drives ...
MAR 4, 2009 • Article
Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Shallow Cuts
British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline was lauded in recent headlines for the announcement that it would voluntarily act to improve access to medicines in developing countries. ...
JAN 28, 2009 • Podcast
Public Ethics Radio: Jeff McMahan on Proportionality
Israeli officials insist that their attacks on Gaza were judiciously planned so as to minimize harm to civilians. What role do civilian casualties play in ...
JAN 9, 2009 • Podcast
Public Ethics Radio: Discretionary Time
What does it mean to live well? Robert Goodin and Lina Eriksson discover that income figures don’t tell the whole story. Missing from this ...
DEC 16, 2008 • Podcast
Health as a Human Right: Rights, Roles, and Responsibilities
The international community has begun to consider the "highest attainable standard of health" as a fundamental component of the human rights agenda, alongside related issues ...
DEC 12, 2008 • Podcast
Network Power: The Social Dynamics of Globalization
How can we understand the dynamics of globalization? Author David Singh Grewal explains that the idea of network power supplies a coherent set of terms ...
DEC 3, 2008 • Podcast
Public Ethics Radio: Larry Temkin on Extending Human Lifespans
What would a world in which everyone lived beyond 100 be like? Would it really be worth it for us?