In my postdocs and early career work I was interested in theoretical questions about collective action, collective agency, collective responsibility, and collective punishment. I worked on what kinds of groups can be the authors of actions and therefore be responsible for what they do (2015a), how groups come to have obligations and responsibilities (2016e), the difference between individuals and groups when it comes to the kinds of obligations they have (2016c), and whether it’s permissible to punish some kinds of groups (2018; 2019a; 2019c). These research topics also took me to questions about individual responsibility for what collectives and non-collective groups do. I looked at individual responsibility for unethical global consumption (2015b; 2018), global climate change (2014; 2016d; 2016a; 2017a; 2017d; 2019b), and both race and class privilege (2016b; 2017e). In my (2019a) book, I focused in particular on how these issues about collective action, agency and responsibility, and individuals’ implication in it (if any), apply when it comes to the nation state and its citizens. On that topic see also (2017b; forthcoming).

+ Collins, Stephanie., & Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘We the People: Is the Polity the State?’ Journal of the American Philosophical Association 7/1 (2021), pp. 78-97.

+ Lawford-Smith, Holly. Not In Their Name: Are Citizens Culpable For Their States’ Actions? (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019a).

+ Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘Democratic Authority to Geoengineer’, Critical Review of Social and Political Philosophy, 23/5 (2020), pp. 600-617.

Himmelreich, Johannes., & Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘Punishing Groups: When External Justice Takes Priority Over Internal Injustice’, The Monist 102/2 (2019), pp. 134-150.

+ Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘What’s Wrong With Collective Punishment?’, Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 3/CXVIII (2018).

+ Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘Does Purchasing Make Consumers Complicit In Global Labour Injustice?‘ Res Publica 24/3 (2018), pp. 319-338.

+ Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘The Comparative Culpability of Stratospheric Aerosol Injections and Ordinary Carbon Emissions’, Ethics & International Affairs 31/4 (2017a).

+ Collins, Stephanie., & Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘Responsibility for States’ Actions: Normative issues at the intersection of collective agency and state responsibility’, Philosophy Compass (2017b) [early view].

+ Currie, Adrian. & Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘Accelerating the Carbon Cycle: the Ethics of Enhanced Weathering‘, Biology Letters 13/4 (2017d).

+ Dunham, Jeremy., & Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘Offsetting Race Privilege‘, Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy 11/2 (2017e).

+ Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘Climate Matters Pro Tanto, Does It Matter All-Things-Considered?‘ Midwest Studies in Philosophy XL (Special Issue ‘Ethics and Global Climate Change’) 40/1 (2016a), pp. 129-142.

+ Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘Offsetting Class Privilege‘, Journal of Practical Ethics 4/1 (2016b), pp. 23-51.

+ Collins, Stephanie. & Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘Collectives’ and Individuals’ Obligations: A Parity Argument‘, Canadian Journal of Philosophy 46/1 (2016c), pp. 38-58.

+ Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘Difference-Making and Individuals’ Climate-Related Obligations‘, in Clare Hayward & Dominic Roser (Eds.) Climate Justice in a Non-Ideal World (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016d) pp. 64-82.

+ Collins, Stephanie. & Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘The Transfer of Duties: From Individuals to States and Back Again‘, in Michael Brady & Miranda Fricker (Eds.) The Epistemic Life of Groups (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016e) pp. 150-172.

+ Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘What ‘we’?‘ Journal of Social Ontology 1/2 (2015a), pp. 225-250.

+ Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘Unethical Consumption and Obligations to Signal‘, Ethics & International Affairs 29/3 (2015b), pp. 315-330.

+ Lawford-Smith, Holly. ‘Benefiting from Failures to Address Climate Change‘, Journal of Applied Philosophy 31/4 (2014), pp. 392-404.