Analyzing a Coalition Across Time and Venues

Policy actors lie at the heart of policy change. More specifically, groups of actors work together to advance change through their advocacy coalitions. These coalitions work across policy venues to influence agendas, mobilize resources, and sustain their efforts over time. Comparing policy actors engaged in Colorado’s transgender rights policies between legislative, regulatory, legal, and news media between 2021-2024 through policy changes, this study compares the different networks of action across these different times and venues. By mapping coalition dynamics over time, we analyze both stability and connectedness, identifying principal and auxiliary members, as well as broader supportive publics. Our findings reveal a coalition demonstrating stability and growth as it engages across multiple policy venues. This longitudinal, single-coalitional analysis highlights the importance of tracking participation patterns to understand coalition competition connectedness and resilience. We raise critical questions about the measurement and identification of advocacy coalitions, offering insight into their engagement and effectiveness in response to policy changes.