Through a compilation of essays, The Harper Factor reviews the legislative actions of Stephen Harper's government as well as its impact on public policy during their tenure in office. These essays analyze Harper's government activities through a cross section of key policy areas where the Harper government set out to introduce and affect policy change. Contributing authors, each with long standing backgrounds in their field, each address a specific policy area and reflect on the following questions: What impact did Stephen Harper have on their assigned policy area? In what ways did he change the approach in relation to previous governments? And what would be the impact of his record on future governments? Contributors provide the editors with policy background, assessment and comparative insight to evaluate Harper's impact on each key public policy area. The editors then reflect on the degree of change in each policy area and reflect on whether the Harper government policies brought change and if these changes will withstand the test of time.