Questions of <i>How</i> , Not <i>if</i> : An Analysis of Secondary Belief Discourse in Agricultural Policy

ABSTRACT Our knowledge of the innerworkings of coalitions in policy debates is wanting, particularly those that focus on instrumental questions of how policies will be implemented after initial questions and conflicts regarding if they will be passed are settled. A deeper and more frequent focus on if questions in studies of coalitions may have resulted in blind spots to the importance of secondary‐belief conflict. To begin to construct a better understanding of the innerworkings of political groups, this study utilizes the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF). It also incorporates the role of emotions in belief formation via the Emotion Belief Analysis (EBA). This study examines three legislative policies in the state of Colorado debated by the Colorado General Assembly during the 2021 legislative session that implicate rural–urban conflict in agricultural policy and the discourses and emotional expressions used therein. Related Articles Kanol, Direnç. 2022. “Narrative Strategies for Emerging Disruptive Technologies: A Case Study of Blockchain for Europe.” Politics &amp; Policy , 50(5): 952–66. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12492 . Nowlin, Matthew C., Maren Trochmann, and Thomas M. Rabovsky. 2022. “Advocacy Coalitions and Political Control.” Politics &amp; Policy 50(2): 201–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12458 . O'Donovan, Kristin T. 2018. “Does the Narrative Policy Framework Apply to Local Policy Issues?” Politics &amp; Policy 46(4): 532–70. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12265 .