Matt Zwolinski

Professor of Philosophy, University of San Diego

Director, USD Center for Ethics, Economics, and Public Policy

Co-Director, USD Institute for Law and Philosophy

Senior Fellow, Niskanen Center

Research Fellow, Liberalism.Org

San Diego, CA 92110

mzwolinski@sandiego.edu

619-260-4094

Abbreviated Research Vita – For Full Vita in PDF format, click here

Education

PhD 2003, University of Arizona

Committee: David Schmidtz (Director), Tom Christiano, Allen Buchanan.

BA (philosophy) and BS (political science) 1997, Santa Clara University

Research Interests

My work lies at the intersection of politics, philosophy, and economics. I write about exploitation, coercion, and the moral evaluation of markets; about libertarian and classical liberal political theory and its history; and about policy design, including the Universal Basic Income and the taxation of wealth.

My current research develops a liberal account of concentrated power, public and private, and of the institutions that keep it in check: competitive markets, constitutional limits on the state, and democratic accountability. I am at work on a book on the subject, now in its early stages. I develop these themes for a general audience in an ongoing essay series at Liberalism.org.

Publications

Books

Exploitation: Perspectives from Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, with Ben Ferguson (Oxford University Press, 2024)

The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism, with John Tomasi (Princeton University Press, 2023)

Universal Basic Income: What Everyone Needs to Know, with Miranda Perry-Fleischer (Oxford University Press, 2023)

The Routledge Companion to Libertarianism, with Ben Ferguson (Routledge, 2022)

Arguing About Political Philosophy, 3rd edition with Mario Juarez-Garcia (Routledge, 2025)

Published Papers

• “The Just Price: A Market-Process Account”, forthcoming in Economics & Philosophy.

• “Freedom, Property, and Self-Ownership in Rothbardian Libertarianism,” Polish Journal of Political Science, vol. 12, no. 3: 18-28.

• “Are Markets Coercive?” forthcoming in Politics, Philosophy & Economics.

• “Capital Punishment: Why a Wealth Tax Won’t Work, and What to Do Instead",” Intertax 54(1):17-23 (2026).

• “Libertarianism, Oversimplified,” The Independent Review (2024)

• “The Advantages of Markets,” in Christopher Melenovsky, ed., The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (Routledge, 2022)

• Foreword to Michael Huemer and Daniel Layman, Is Political Authority an Illusion? (Routledge, 2021)

• “Equal Pay: A Floor, Not a Ceiling,” in Anders Örtenblad, ed., Debating Equal Pay for All (Palgrave, 2020)

• “A Hayekian Case for Free Markets and a Basic Income,” in Michael Cholbi and Michael Weber, eds., The Future of Work, Technology, and Basic Income (Routledge, 2019)

• A Critique of Ayn Rand’s Theory of Rights,” A Critique of Ayn Rand’s Theory of Rights: Response to Miller and Mossoff,” in Gregory Salmieri and Robert Mayhew, eds., Foundations of a Free Society: Reflections on Ayn Rand’s Political Philosophy (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2019).

• “Rights, Reasonableness, and Environmental Harms,” American Journal of Bioethics, vol. 18, no. 2 (2018), pp. 46-48.

• “Exploitation and Consent,” in Peter Schaber and Andreas Müller, eds., The Routledge Handbook on The Ethics of Consent (Routledge, 2018).

• “Beyond the Difference Principle: Rawlsian Justice, Business Ethics, and the Morality of the Market,” in Eugene Heath and Byron Kaldis, eds., Wealth, Commerce, and Philosophy: Foundational Thinkers on Business Ethics (University of Chicago Press, 2017), pp. 381-399.

• “Libertarianism and the Welfare State,” in Jason Brennan, Bas van der Vossen, and David Schmidtz, eds., The Routledge Handbook of Libertarianism (Routledge, forthcoming in 2017).

•  “The Libertarian Non-Aggression Principle,” Social Philosophy and Policy vol., 32, no. 2 (April, 2016), pp. 62-90.

• “Exploitation and Freedom,” in David Schmidtz and Carmen Pavel, eds., The Oxford Handbook of Freedom (Oxford, 2016).

• “Social Darwinism and Social Justice: Herbert Spencer on Our Duties to the Poor,” in Matthew Murray and Camilla Boisen, eds.., Distributive Justice Debates in Social and PoliticalThought: Perspectives on Finding a Fair Share (Routledge, 2015)

• “A Libertarian Case for the Moral Limits of Markets,” Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy, vol. 13, no. 2 (2015), pp. 275-290.

• “Virtue, Repugnance, and Deontology ” with David Schmidtz, in Reason, Value, and Respect: Kantian Themes from the Philosophy of Thomas E. Hill, Jr., Mark Timmons and Robert Johnson, eds., (Oxford University Press, 2015).

• “Property Rights, Coercion, and the Welfare State: The Libertarian Case for a Basic Income for All,” The Independent Review (2015).

• “Libertarianism and Pollution,” Philosophy and Public Policy Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 4 (2014), pp. 9-21.

  • Also forthcoming in Andrew Light and Benjamin Hale, eds., The Routledge Companion to Environmental Ethics (Routledge, forthcoming in 2015)

• “Liberalism,” in Alex Michalos, ed., Encyclopedia of Quality of Life Research (Springer, 2013).

• “Are Usurious? Another New Argument for the Prohibition of High Interest Loans?” Business Ethics Journal Review, 1(4) (2013): 22-27.

• “Environmental Virtue Ethics: What It Is and What It Needs to Be,” with David Schmidtz, in Daniel
  Russell, ed., The Cambridge Companion to Virtue Ethics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013), pp. 221-239.

•  “Exploitation,” with Alan Wertheimer and Benjamin Ferguson, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (December, 2012).

•  “The Ethical and Economic Case Against Sweatshop Labor: A Critical Assessment,” with Benjamin Powell, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 107, no. 4 (2012), pp. 449-472.

•  “Structural Exploitation,” Social Philosophy and Policy, vol. 29, no. 1 (Winter, 2012), pp. 154-179.

  • Reprinted in Ellen Frankel Paul, ed., New Essays in Political and Social Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, 2013).

• “Classical Liberalism and the Basic Income,” Basic Income Studies, vol. 6, no. 2 (December, 2011), pp. 1-14.

• “States of Nature,” Journal of Value Inquiry, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 27-36 (2011).

• “Recent Work in Ethical Theory and its Implications for Business Ethics,” with Denis Arnold and Robert Audi, Business Ethics Quarterly, vol. 20, no. 4 (October, 2010), pp. 559-581.

• “Price Gougingand Market Failure” in Christi Favor, Gerald Gaus, and Julian Lamont, eds., Essays on Philosophy, Politics & Economics: Integration and Common Research Projects (Stanford: Stanford University Press), 2010.

• “Liberty,” in John Shand, ed., Central Issues in Philosophy (Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2009), pp. 275-286.

• “Price Gouging, Non-Worseness, and Distributive Justice,” Business Ethics Quarterly, vol. 19, no. 2 (April, 2009), pp. 295-306.

  • Reprinted in Lisa Newton, Elaine Englehardt and Michael Pritchard, eds., Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Business Ethics and Society, 11th edition and 12th edition (New York: McGraw Hill, 2012).

  • Reprinted in Stephen Satris, ed., Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Moral Issues, 13th edition (New York, McGraw Hill, 2011).

  • Reprinted in Jonathan Anomaly, Geoffrey Brennan, Mike Munger, and Geoff Sayre-McCord, Philosophy, Politics & Economics: Essential Readings (Oxford University Press, 2015).

• “The Ethics of Price Gouging,” Business Ethics Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 3 (July, 2008), pp. 347-378.

  • Reprinted in David Schmidtz and John Thrasher eds., Creating Wealth: Ethical and Economic Perspectives, 2nd ed. (Cognella Academic Publishing, 2014).

  • Reprinted in A.M. Viens and Michael Selgelid, Emergency Ethics, Volume I (London: Ashgate, 2012).

• “The Separateness of Persons and Liberal Theory,” The Journal of Value Inquiry, vol. 42, no. 2 (June, 2008), pp. 147-165.

• “Libertarianism,” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://www.iep.utm.edu/libertar/ (March, 2008).

• “Respect for Persons and the Authority of Morality,” Reason Papers no. 29 (Fall 2007), pp. 71-82.

• “Sweatshops, Choice, and Exploitation,” Business Ethics Quarterly, vol. 17, no. 4 (October, 2007), pp. 689-727.

  • Reprinted in Laura Hartman and Joseph DesJardins, eds., Business Ethics: Decision-Making for Personal Integrity & Social Responsibility, 2nd edition (McGraw Hill, 2011), pp. 312-25.

  • Reprinted in Andrew Morriss, ed., Global Labor and Employment Law for the Practicing Lawyer (Kluwer Law International, 2010), pp. 597-647.

  • Reprinted in David Schmidtz and John Thrasher eds., Creating Wealth: Ethical and Economic Perspectives, 2nd ed. (Cognella Academic Publishing, 2014).

  • Reprinted in Harriet Baber and Denise Dimon, eds.,  Globalization and International Development: The Ethical Issues (Broadview, 2013).

  • Reprinted in Jonathan Anomaly, Geoffrey Brennan, Mike Munger, and Geoff Sayre-McCord, Philosophy, Politics & Economics: Essential Readings (Oxford University Press, 2015).

• “Why Not Regulate Private Discrimination?” San Diego Law Review, vol. 43, no. 4 (Fall, 2006), pp. 1043-1061.

• “Person-Neutrality and the Separateness of Persons,” Southwest Philosophical Studies, vol. 25 (2006), pp. 95-104.

• “Sweatshops,” in James Climent, ed., Social Issues in America: An Encyclopedia (Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe,
  2006).

  • Reprinted in Thomas Mappes & Jane S. Zembaty, Social Ethics: Morality and Social Policy,
    7th edition (New York: McGraw Hill, 2006), and 8th edition (2011).

• “Natural Law and Evolutionary Conservatism,” San Diego Law Review, vol. 42, no. 3 (2005), pp. 1143-1149.

• “Virtue Ethics and Repugnant Conclusions,” with David Schmidtz, in Philip Cafaro and Ronald Sandler, eds., Environmental Virtue Ethics, (New York: Rowman and Littlefield, 2005), pp. 107-117.

Reviews

• Review of Lisa Herzog, Citizen Knowledge: Markets, Experts, and the Infrastructure of Democracy, in Ethics, vol. 135, no. 3 (2025).

• Review of John Hasnas, Common Law Liberalism: A New Theory of the Libertarian Society (Oxford, 2023), in Reason Magazine (January, 2025).

• Review of Anton Jäger and Daniel Zamora Vargas, Welfare for Markets: A Global History of Basic Income (Chicago, 2023), in Journal of Markets and Morality, vol. 27, no. 1 (2024), pp. 70-72.

• Review of Jacob Soll, Free Market: The History of An Idea (Basic Books, 2022), in Reason Magazine (October)

• Review of Annie Lowrey, Give People Money: How a Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revolutionize Work, and Remake the World (Crown, 2018), Journal of Business Ethics 162(1): 247-249.

• Review of Philippe van Parijs and Yannick Vanderborght, Basic Income: A Radical Proposal for a
  Free Society and a Sane Economy (Harvard, 2017), Ethics & International Affairs 31(4)

• Review of Loren Lomasky, Rights Angles (Oxford University Press, 2016), Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (2017.03.10).

• Review of Ralf Bader and John Meadowcroft (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Nozick’s Anarchy, State, and
  Utopia (Cambridge University Press, 2011), Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (2012.10.03).

• Review of Gijs Van Donselaar, The Right to Exploit: Parasitism, Scarcity, Basic Income (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), Ethics, vol. 121, no. 1 (October, 2010), pp. 228-232.

• Review of George Brenkert and Tom Beauchamp, eds., The Oxford Handbook of Business Ethics (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (2010.06.32).

• Review of Amartya Sen, The Idea of Justice (Harvard University Press, 2009), The Review of Metaphysics, vol. LXIII, no. 4 (2010), pp. 45-47.

• Review of Horacio Spector, Autonomy and Rights: The Moral Foundations of Liberalism (Oxford: Oxford
  University Press, 1992), The Journal of Value Inquiry, vol. 43, no.2 (June, 2009), pp. 255-262.

• Review Essay: Dale Jamieson, ed., A Companion to Environmental Philosophy (Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2001), Environmental Ethics vol. 25 (Spring 2003), pp. 99-104.