Steve Patten

Research

My research and teaching are driven by an interest in understanding how particular ideological agendas and approaches to politics and governance shape the quality of democracy in Canada. By exploring the evolving place of competing discourses within contemporary partisan conservatism, my research has illuminated how ideological battles have transformed the Conservative Party and influenced the character of public policy and governance. I have also engaged in research examining how the rise of the ‘permanent campaign’, wedge politics, and data-driven microtargeting have altered the party system and contributed to a new and highly partisan form of political governance. Finally, I have a keen interest in the importance of both parliamentary traditions and citizen empowerment to challenging the trend toward the concentration of power and the personalization of executive governance in Canada.