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Three Nuffield alumni have been awarded prizes for their DPhil theses, written whilst students at the College.

Simeon Goldstraw is the winner of the Oxford Nicolas Berggruen Prize for Best Doctoral Dissertation in Philosophy, Law & Politics 2025 for his dissertation, ‘Establishing a Political Claim to Leisure’. 

Kofi Gunu was given an honourable mention for the Outstanding Dissertation Award of the APSA International Collaboration Section for his 2024 DPhil thesis, ‘Resisting assistance: how external financiers influence IMF bailout requests’. 

Natasja Rupesinghe won the British International Studies Association’s (BSI) Michael Nicholson Prize for best DPhil thesis in International Studies, ‘Community Responses to Jihadist Mobilisation in Central Mali’.

‘Establishing a Political Claim to Leisure’

Simeon’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. His thesis develops a novel theory: that citizens hold a just claim to leisure. This claim is philosophically distinct from the notion of ‘free time’, and it is grounded in the empirical realities of unequal access to leisure in contemporary society.  

Simeon uses Aristotle and Marx to develop a unique conception of leisure – rather than simply ‘free time’, leisure is instead “the condition of performing activities chosen as ends in themselves”. 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’. He argues that all citizens are entitled to the “capability” to be at leisure, and, as leisure is essential to living a flourishing life, so it is an injustice if some people are unable to be at leisure. Simeon argues that governments must take a flexible approach to allow everyone, regardless of inequalities, to enjoy this capability.  

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 Simeon 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.” 

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.   

Simeon 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.

‘Resisting assistance: how external financiers influence IMF bailout requests’ 

Kofi’s dissertation examines why and when some crisis-stricken countries that have vociferously resisted IMF bailouts eventually fold and accept aid, while others persist in their resistance. Highlighting the agency of both creditors and developing countries, Gunu develops a theory of the ‘structural power of international finance’. 

Commenting on his dissertation, the committee said it stood out for “…the importance of the research question, the policy relevant conclusions, the thoughtfulness of the methodological approach, and the exceptional writing.” 

Kofi is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, where he is working to revise his thesis into a book manuscript. He said:  

“I feel truly honoured (and pleasantly surprised) to have received this honourable mention. I'm grateful to the committee for considering my work and to my mentors at the DPIR for their constant support.” 

‘Community Responses to Jihadist Mobilisation in Central Mali’

Natasja's thesis explores how rural communities coped with a local jihadist rebellion affiliated to the Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, one of the most influential jihadist rebel groups in the Sahel. Although the civil war in Mali started in the north, from 2015 onwards, central Mali became the epicentre of the war.  

The thesis investigated how rural communities coped with armed violence and asked, what led some communities to collaborate with rebels, while others violently resisted them by launching self-defense brigades or militias?  

The thesis challenges existing explanations which tend to argue that people join jihadist rebels because of religious beliefs, material profit or ethnic grievances. Instead, it argues that micro-grievances from local conflicts and war dynamics shaped community decision-making about whether to join, ally with or violently resist the rebels. 

Natasja said:  

"I'm truly humbled to receive the Michael Nicholson award from the British International Studies Association, which honours the legacy of Michael Nicholson. This dissertation would not have been possible without the steadfast collaboration and support from my Malian colleagues over the years. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the countless people who shared their knowledge and experiences of the war with me during what was a particularly difficult time in Mali's history. I hope my work has done justice to their stories." 

As a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute, based in Florence, Natasja is continuing to investigate the role of civilians in war zones, particularly in the Sahel. She is also currently working on turning her dissertation into a monograph.