David P. Carter

I am chair and an associate professor of public policy at the University of Utah's Division of Public Affairs. My research examines public policy and program administration across a range of contexts, from organic food regulation to collective action among climbers.

I teach classes in public policy theory, policy analysis, research design, and governance and the economy.

More Info | Publications | C.V.

David P. Carter

Chair & Associate Professor, Division of Public Affairs

Education

Ph.D. Public Affairs, 2016, University of Colorado Denver

Master of Public Administration, 2010, University of Colorado Denver

B.A. in Sociology & B.S. in Psychology, 2006, Colorado State University

Select Recognitions

Theodore Lowi Award for best article in Policy Studies Journal with Saba Siddiki (lead author) et al., American Political Science Association (APSA) Public Policy Section, 2023

Advancing Equity & Connecting Communities Award, College of Social & Behavioral Science, University of Utah, 2023

Early Career Teaching Award, University of Utah, 2022

American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Founders’ Fellow, 2017

Staats Emerging Scholar, Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, & Administration (NASPAA), 2015

Book

Regulation by Proxy: How the USDA Relies on Public, Nonprofit, and For-Profit Intermediaries to Oversee Organic Food in the U.S. David P. Carter. 2019. Lanham, MD: Lexington.

Articles

Brief Report: Participation Frequency across Climbing Disciplines from North American Surveys. David P. Carter & John Flynn (2024) in Leisure/Loisir

Land Management Policy Tools and Institutionally-Contingent Types of Goods: Understanding Rock Climbers’ Resistance to and Desire for Public Lands Fees and Quotas, David P. Carter & Juniper Katz (2024) in Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning

Access for Whom? White Environmentalism, Recreational Colonization, and Civic Recreation Racialization, David P. Carter & Jeff Rose (2024) in Administrative Theory & Praxis

Examining Attitudes towards Inclusion and Social Justice among U.S. Climbers: Analysis and Findings from a National Survey, John Flynn, David P. Carter, Garrett Hutson, & Leandra Hernandez (2023) in Leisure Studies

Situating Public Management’s Contributions to Social Equity: Using Decomposition Analysis to Examine U.S. Child Welfare Outcome Disparities, Dallas Elgin, David P. Carter, & Anthony Starke (2023) in Public Management Review

Sustaining Civic Recreation: Understanding What Shapes Climbers’ Contributions to Local Resource Stewardship and Advocacy, David P. Carter (2023) in Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership

Appraising the Administrative Burden of USDA Organic Certification: A Descriptive Analysis of Notice of Noncompliance Data, David P. Carter, Ian Adams, Seth Wright, & Tyler A. Scott. (2022) in Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development

Outdoor Participation and Intent among Indoor Climbers: Findings from the U.S. and Canada, David P. Carter & Laura Allured (2022) in Leisure Studies

Probing the Fiscal Implications of Multipurpose Development Districts: An Institutional Analysis of Florida Community Development Districts, Aaron Deslatte, Tyler A. Scott, & David P. Carter (2021) in State & Local Government Review

Contributing to Local Stewardship and Advocacy: Identifying Barriers Among Climbers, David P. Carter (2021) in Managing Sport & Leisure

Participation Rationales, Regulatory Enforcement, and Compliance Motivations in a Voluntary Program Context, David P. Carter & Saba Siddiki (2021) in Regulation & Governance

The Self-Governance Challenges Facing Climbers, with Examples from Utah, Colorado, and Ontario, David P. Carter, Garrett Hutson, Nate Furman, Jeff Rose, & Patrick Lam (2020) in Journal of Outdoor Recreation & Tourism

Making Sense of the U.S. COVID-19 Pandemic Response: A Policy Regime Perspective, David P. Carter & Peter J. May (2020) in Administrative Theory & Praxis

COVID-19 and the Policy Sciences: Initial Reactions and Perspectives, Christopher M. Weible, Daniel Nohrstedt, Paul Cairney, David P. Carter, Deserai A. Crow, Anna P. Durnova, Tanya Heikkila, Karin Ingold, Allan McConnell, & Diane Stone (2020) in Policy Sciences

Research Note: Examining Differences in the Bolting Preferences of Climbers along Utah’s Wasatch Front, David P. Carter (2020) in Journal of Outdoor Recreation & Tourism

Higher Performance with Increased Risk of Undesirable Outcomes: The Dilemma of U.S. Child Welfare Services Privatization, Dallas Elgin & David P. Carter (2020) in Public Management Review

Institutional Analysis with the Grammar of Institutions, Saba Siddiki, Tanya Heikkila, Chris Weible, Raul Pachego-Vega, David P. Carter, Cali Curley, Aaron Deslatte, & Abby Bennett (2019) in Policy Studies Journal (2023 Theodore Lowi Award paper)

Institutional Enforcement, Signaling, and Deliberation: Rock Climbers Attempting to Maintain Rules and Norms through Social Sanctioning, David P. Carter (2019) in International Journal of the Commons

How Values Shape Program Perceptions: The ‘Organic Ethos’ and Producers’ Assessments of U.S. Organic Policy Impacts, David P. Carter, Samantha Mosier, & Ian Adams (2019) in Review of Policy Research

Collaborative Governance or Private Policy Making? When Consultants Matter More Than Participation in Collaborative Environmental Planning, Tyler A. Scott & David P. Carter (2019) in Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning

Specialized Governance and Regional Land-Use Outcomes: A Spatial Analysis of Florida Community Development Districts, Aaron Deslatte, Tyler A. Scott, & David P. Carter (2019) in Land Use Policy

The Formation and Administration of Multipurpose Development Districts: Private Interests through Public Institutions, David P. Carter, Aaron Deslatte, & Tyler A. Scott (2019) in Perspectives on Public Manage & Governance

Coordinating Intermediaries: The Prospects and Limitations of Professional Associations in Decentralized Regulation, David P. Carter & Nadia Mahallati (2019) in Regulation & Governance

The Consumer Costs of Food Certification: A Pilot Study and Research Opportunities, David P. Carter & Adrienne Cachelin (2019) in Journal of Consumer Affairs

Intermediary Attributes, Regulatee Experiences, and Perceived Expertise in Third-Party Regulation, David P. Carter (2019) in Administration & Society

Administrative (De)centralization, Performance Equity, and Outcome Achievement in Rural Contexts: An Empirical Study of U.S. Child Welfare Systems, Dallas Elgin & David P. Carter (2018) in Governance

How Participant Values Influence Reasons for Pursuing Voluntary Program Membership, David P. Carter, Tanya Heikkila, & Christopher M. Weible (2018) in Public Administration

Balancing Barriers to Entry and Administrative Burden in Voluntary Regulation, David P. Carter, Tyler A. Scott, & Nadia Mahallati (2018) in Perspectives on Public Management & Governance

Role Perceptions and Attitudes towards Discretion at a Decentralized Regulatory Frontline: The Case of Organic Inspectors, David P. Carter (2017) in Regulation & Governance

Regulatee Choice in Certification Schemes: Explaining Selection from among Certifier Options, David P. Carter (2017) in Public Administration

Service Diversification and Service Quality Differences in the Third-Party Administration of U.S. Organic Regulations, David. P. Carter (2017) in Public Management Review

Advancing Policy Process Research at its Overlap with Public Management Scholarship and Nonprofit and Voluntary Action Studies, Christopher M. Weible & David P. Carter (2017) in Policy Studies Journal

An Institutional and Opinion Analysis of Colorado’s Hydraulic Fracturing Disclosure Rule, Christopher M. Weible, Tanya Heikkila, & David P. Carter (2017) in Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning

Public, Nonprofit, and For-Profit Sector Regulatory Approaches in Third-Party Regulatory Administration, David P. Carter (2016) in Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory

Integrating Core Concepts from the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework for the Systematic Analysis of Policy Designs: An Illustration from the U.S. National Organic Program Regulation, David P. Carter, Christopher M. Weible, Saba N. Siddiki, & Xavier Basurto (2016) in Journal of Theoretical Politics

Capturing Structural and Functional Diversity through Institutional Analysis: The Mayor Position in City Charters, Richard Feiock, Christopher M. Weible, David P. Carter, Cali Curley, Aaron Deslatte, & Tanya Heikkila (2016) in Urban Affairs Review

The Composition of Policy Change: Comparing Colorado’s 1977 and 2006 Smoking Bans, Christopher M. Weible & David P. Carter (2015) in Policy Sciences

Assessing Policy Divergence: How to Investigate the Differences between a Law and Corresponding Regulation, David P. Carter, Christopher M. Weible, Saba Siddiki, John Brett, & Sara Miller-Chonaiew (2015) in Public Administration

Assessing Rule Compliance and Robustness in Recreational Resource Management, David P. Carter & Christopher M. Weible (2014) in Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning

Publications

Book Review

The Performance Limitations, Operational Strengths, and Political Perils of Multi-Purpose Regulators [Review of Structured to Fail? Regulatory Performance under Competing Mandates by Christopher Carrigan] David P. Carter (2018) in Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory

"Theories of the Policy Process: Ways to Think about Them and Strategies for Teaching with Them," Christopher M. Weible & David P. Carter (2024) in Zittoun, Philippe & Emily St Denny (Eds), Handbook of Teaching Public Policy. Edward Elgar.

“Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD),” David P. Carter & Christopher M. Weible (2016) in Stephen L. Schechter (Ed.), American Governance (Vol. 3), Farmington Hills, MI: Macmillan.

“Common Pool Resources,” Tanya Heikkila & David P. Carter (2014) in Ellen Wohl (Ed.), Oxford Bibliographies, New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

“Organic Food,” David P. Carter, Christopher M. Weible, & Saba Siddiki (2014) in Brent Steel (Ed.), Science and Politics: An A-to-Z Guide to Issues and Controversies, Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press.

Chapters