What is a coalition? A systematic review of coalitions in community psychology

Coalitions have a long history as part of the field of community psychology. Whilecommunity psychologists often work with coalitions, these entities engage in a widerange of activities and structures that are not well defined within the field. In this paper,we explore the following questions: (1) What are the characteristics of coalitions thatcommunity psychologists study? (2) What are the themes in the way authors definecoalitions in their work? To address these questions, we conducted a systematic reviewof articles about coalitions in journals serving community psychologists. Findingssuggest coalitions can be characterized by a focus on local level community issuesaround health and wellness and include a diverse group of stakeholders. Coalitions aredefined by a focus on three types of coordination: knowledge coordination, negotiatedcoordination, and action coordination. These types of coordination are used toaddress specific problems coalitions encounter and define the goals and techniquesappropriate for resolving them.