Scholars
James Patterson
Utrecht University
Based in
Netherlands
Europe
James Patterson is an interdisciplinary social scientist working at the intersection of sustainability, public policy, and comparative politics. His research examines the politics of climate change policy action, focusing on issues such as backlash, legitimacy, and policy feedback. More broadly, he is interested in the role of the state and the mobilisation of public authority in advancing ambitious policy action for sustainability transformations.
Country(ies) of Specialty
Netherlands Australia CanadaFocus areas of expertise
Climate policy and politicsHow to Connect
Publications
Articles
Patterson, James, Cille Kaiser, et al. “Climate Policy Backlash: Taming an Unruly Concept?” Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, vol. 28, no. 2, Mar. 2026, pp. 197–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2026.2628706.
Kaiser, Cille, and James Patterson. “Finding the Way: The Situated Practice of Forging Alternative Energy Futures in Two Former European Coalmining Communities.” Energy Research & Social Science, vol. 133, Mar. 2026, p. 104613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2026.104613.
Kaiser, Cille, and James Patterson. “The Changing Geographies of Renewable Energy: Accumulation, Saturation, and Contestation in Dunkirk, France.” Applied Geography, vol. 186, Jan. 2026, p. 103845. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103845.
Anisimova, Ksenia V., and James J. Patterson. “Unraveling the Conditions for Post-Adoption Contestation over Hard Climate Policy in OECD Countries.” Npj Climate Action, vol. 4, no. 1, June 2025, p. 61. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44168-025-00270-1.
Patterson, James, Ksenia Anisimova, et al. “Reactions to Policy Action: Socio-Political Conditions of Backlash to Climate Change Policy.” Policy Sciences, May 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-025-09578-5.
Grünwald, Lotte, and James Patterson. “Roadblocks of Polarization: Interpretive Mechanisms of Opposition to a Speed Limit Policy on German Highways.” Energy Research & Social Science, vol. 122, Apr. 2025, p. 104009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2025.104009.
Kaiser, Cille, and James Patterson. “What’s the Problem? Unpacking the Problem-Complex of Coal Extraction and Climate Action in Whitehaven, UK.” Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, Mar. 2025, p. 23996544251326510. https://doi.org/10.1177/23996544251326510.
Anisimova, Ksenia V., and James J. Patterson. “Public Responses to Hard Climate Policies in OECD Member Countries: Prevalence of Contention at the Post-Adoption Stage.” Climate Policy, Oct. 2024, pp. 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2024.2409806.
Patterson, James, and Matthew Paterson. “Embracing the Politics of Transformation: Policy Action as ‘Battle‐settlement Events.’” Review of Policy Research, July 2024, p. ropr.12627. https://doi.org/10.1111/ropr.12627.
Patterson, James J., et al. “Negotiating Discord in Sustainability Transformations.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 121, no. 21, May 2024, p. e2310186121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2310186121.
Patterson, James J. “Backlash to Climate Policy.” Global Environmental Politics, vol. 23, no. 1, Feb. 2023, pp. 68–90. https://doi.org/10.1162/glep_a_00684.
Patterson, James J. “Culture and Identity in Climate Policy.” WIREs Climate Change, Jan. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.765.
Patterson, James, Carina Wyborn, et al. “The Political Effects of Emergency Frames in Sustainability.” Nature Sustainability, vol. 4, no. 10, Oct. 2021, pp. 841–50. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00749-9.