In public policy, social network analysis (SNA) can be used identify key players, and also to describe actors’ experiences of the policy process. Analytically approaching descriptions of the policy process as a collection of strategies used to influence policy allows investigation of (a) who describes who as using different strategies, (b) how actors perceive the policy process and (c) how strategies to influence the policy process are clustered. The data for this study is drawn from semi-structured interviews (n = 23) with a purposive sample of public health policy makers and evidence producers in a large city in the UK. Individuals were recruited as part of a network-mapping study and were approached to achieve representativeness across professional groups. Role analysis was carried out using SNA. Clustering of activities identified policy mechanisms and how they were used by influential individuals. Reflections on the methodological challenges and substantive findings are presented.
