About David's Work
David's research focuses on environmental governance and institutional transformation. While much of this work has focused on East Asia, he is interested in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America, as well. His Switzer-supported doctoral dissertation examined the role of environmental social movements in the adoption of environmental technologies in pulp and paper manufacturing in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand in the late 1980s/ early 1990s. He asks, broadly, where, when, and how citizens and other civic actors have successfully influenced the design and functioning of core institutions, organizations, technologies, and processes in more environmentally sustainable and socially equitable directions. In more recent years, his work has expanded to examine environmental advocacy and sustainability in illiberal settings around the world. In addition to the forest/ forestry sector, David has ongoing interests in global electronics manufacturing, sustainability in food and agriculture, and transboundary water governance. His books include 'Water Crises and Governance: Reinventing Collaborative Institutions in an Era of Uncertainty' (London and New York: Routledge, 2018); the 'Routledge International Handbook of Social and Environmental Change' (London and New York: Routledge, 2014); and 'The Ecological Modernisation Reader: Environmental Reform in Theory and Practice' (London and New York: Routledge, 2009). Currently he is Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Environmental Studies, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), in Syracuse, NY. David is also Research Associate, Environmental Policy Group, Wageningen University, the Netherlands; and Affiliate Faculty, Dept. of Sociology, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University.