Pulling Back the Curtain: Tracing the Evolution of the ACF though the Flow Diagram

The Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) is one of the most robust and frequently applied approaches for studying the policy process. While many of its components have remained static over its 35-year history, others have changed in response to a variety of forces. In this paper, we ask how the ACF arrived in its current form and what this says about the trajectory of ACF scholarship more broadly. To do this, we leverage the ACF “flow diagram” as an analytical tool. The flow diagram depicts how the framework’s various components fit together and can serve as a boundary object for both novice and advanced ACF researchers who use the framework in diverse ways. We trace the evolution of the ACF flow diagram over time by reviewing the myriad versions that have been published by a variety of scholars across many outlets. We include those that are fairly canonical, as well as those that make significant departures and modifications for specific contextual applications. Through an analysis of the content of and adaptations to the flow diagram over time, we evaluate how the ACF has evolved in response to empirical findings, as well as other idiosyncratic factors. In doing so, we seek to “pull back the curtain” on the development of the ACF to promote advancement in both theoretical and empirical applications. This exercise helps us to reflect on the many interpretations and applications of the framework by others. It also demonstrates how the ACF flow diagram can be used as a “schematic” for applying the framework in diverse contexts. Finally, it provides insight into how the ACF can be further developed for use in analyzing critical, emerging policy problems in a rapidly transforming society.