Oxford Nicolas Berggruen Prize for Best Doctoral Dissertation in Philosophy, Law & Politics 2025
The Faculty of Law is delighted to announce the winner of the Oxford Nicolas Berggruen Prize for Best Doctoral Dissertation in Philosophy, Law & Politics 2025.
This prestigious award, generously funded by Nicolas Berggruen of the Berggruen Institute in Los Angeles, recognises a doctoral dissertation that is both excellent and transformative, in theory or in practice. Each year, one outstanding dissertation is nominated by each of the three participating faculties at Oxford – Philosophy, Law, and the Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) – with the final selection made by a dedicated committee in accordance with the terms of the prize.
We are pleased to announce that the 2025 Prize has been awarded to Dr Simeon Goldstraw for his dissertation, “Establishing a Political Claim to Leisure.”
Dr Goldstraw’s dissertation seeks to provide a systematic, organised account of why leisure is politically and morally important, and what governments ought to do about it. Across eight carefully argued chapters, structured into three parts, the thesis develops a novel theory: that citizens hold a just claim to leisure – a claim that is philosophically distinct from the notion of “free time” and grounded in the empirical realities of unequal access to leisure in contemporary society. In Part I, Dr Goldstraw develops a unique conception of leisure – “the condition of performing activities chosen as ends in themselves” – from Aristotle and Marx. Whilst leisure is often thought of as free time, this more demanding conception enables us to think more closely about why leisure is valuable to people and what goods people require to be “at leisure”. In the second part, the thesis argues that all citizens are entitled to the “capability” to be at leisure. Leisure is essential to living a flourishing life, so, it is an injustice if some people are unable to be at leisure. The third part asks how this capability ought to be satisfied. The thesis argues that governments must take a flexible approach depending on the circumstances. However, in our current society, where inequalities of various kinds persist, governments should take a range of steps, working alongside the market, to supply arts and cultural goods, sporting opportunities, and leisure spaces, so that inequalities in access to leisure are reduced, and so that everybody enjoys the capability to be at leisure. The result is a piece of work that is, in the words of the examiners, “a very impressive work” that makes “an original and valuable contribution to contemporary political theory.”, and which Dr Goldstraw is hoping to continue developing and promote it by converting it into a book.
On hearing he had won the prize, Simeon said:
“I am delighted and humbled to receive this year’s Oxford Nicolas Berggruen Prize. My thesis focuses on citizens’ entitlements to leisure. When we think of the most politically pressing questions of our day, people rarely think of leisure. Why should we worry about whether people enjoy arts, sports, or beaches when we face huge political challenges surrounding democracy, inequality, and technology? But leisure is a crucial part of a happy and flourishing life and, as my thesis shows, is politically important for all sorts of reasons. Its upshot is that we ought to treat a lack of access to leisure, or unequal access to leisure between people, as a political problem that requires political attention. Governments have a responsibility to ensure that people have adequate leisure opportunities, and this responsibility should not fall by the wayside.”
Dr Simeon Goldstraw specialises in contemporary political theory. Having previously studied for an undergraduate degree at Cardiff University and an MSc in Political Theory at the London School of Economics, in 2024, he finished his DPhil in Politics (Political Theory) at the University of Oxford.