Comparing Policy Networks: Marine Protected Areas in California

TLDR

Most network studies focus on information and advice networks, but there is growing interest among Advocacy Coalition Framework scholars in ally and coordination networks. The study asks whether information, ally, and coordination networks overlap and whether policy core beliefs shape interactions among these networks. These questions are examined within the California Marine Life Protection Act process. The results show that ally and coordination networks overlap more than information/advice networks, that policy core beliefs better predict ally and coordination networks, and that ally networks can serve as a proxy for coordination networks to identify advocacy coalitions.

Abstract

While most of the network literature focuses on information and advice networks, there is increasing interest—particularly among Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) scholars—on ally networks and coordination networks. This article asks two basic questions: First, do information, ally, and coordination networks overlap with each other? Second, and drawing from the ACF, do policy core beliefs structure the interactions in ally, coordination, and advice/information networks? We pursue these research questions in the context of the California Marine Life Protection Act process. We find that ally and coordination networks overlap slightly more than information/advice networks and that policy core beliefs do a better job of predicting ally and coordination networks than advice/information networks. Thus, we show that ally networks can provide a useful proxy for coordination networks to identify advocacy coalitions.