Patrick Barrett is an Associate Professor of Politics and Public Policy in the School of Law, Politics and Philosophy at the University of Waikato, New Zealand.

As a political studies and public policy scholar, he focusses on ways in which policy studies can improve the use of both evidence and public participation in politics and policy. He has published three books and multiple journal articles and book chapters on a variety of topics that include democratic governance, particularly in terms of the potential of deliberative and participatory processes, and social and housing policy.

He has held positions as the Head of the School of Social Sciences at the University of Waikato (2014-2016), and as President of the New Zealand Political Studies Association (NZPSA) (2020-2022).

Patrick’s teaching is focussed on New Zealand politics and policy, public policy and theories of the policy process. He also teaches on the political and social dimensions of climate change. He has supervised 16 doctoral students through to successful completion, and over 35 masters theses and dissertations.