David Switzer
Dr. Switzer’s work stands at the intersection of political science, public management, and normative theory, with an emphasis on water policy in the United States. His major research focus is on how political and administrative variables shape the implementation and development of environmental policy at the local level. His current research agenda is aimed at exploring how the organizational structure of water utilities determines responses to the political, climatological, and demographic environment in which the organization exists. He has additional interests in democratic theory, urban policy, and environmental justice.
Dr. Switzer has published in top policy, administration, and urban journals, such as Public Administration Review, Urban Affairs Review, and Policy Studies Journal. His 2022 book, The Profits of Distrust, published with Cambridge University Press, examined how declining trust in public institutions drives citizen-consumers to commercial alternatives, such as bottled water. The book argues that this has major implications for political participation, the quality of public services, and the future of democratic governance. The book received the 2024 Lynton Keith Caldwell Award from the American Political Science Association.
Selected Publications
Book:
Teodoro, Manuel P., Samantha Zuhlke, and David Switzer. 2022. The Profits of Distrust: Citizen-Consumers, Drinking Water, and the Crisis of Confidence in American Government. Cambridge University Press
Articles:
Switzer, David . 2023. "Contextual Responsiveness in U.S. Local Government Climate Policy." Review of Policy Reserch 40 (6): 920-949
Switzer, David and Jun Deng. 2023. "Specialized Government and Water Conservation Policy." Urban Affairs Review. 59 (2): 611-629.
Zhang, Youlaing, Manuel P. Teodoro, and David Switzer. 2021. "Public Water Waste Reporting: Contextual Correlates and Conservation Outcomes." Water Resources Research 57 (4): e2020WR027805.
Switzer, David, Weijie Wang, and Lacey Hirschvogel. 2020. "Municipal Utilities and Covid-19: Challenges, Responses, and Collaboration." The American Review of Public Administration 50 (6-7): 577-583.
Teodoro, Manuel P., Youlang Zhang, and David Switzer. 2020. "Political Decoupling: Private Implementation of Public Policy." Policy Studies Journal 48 (2): 401-424.
