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Abstract Interstate compacts are formal structures through which multiple states work together towards a common goal or shared agenda. Previous research on compacts focuses almost exclusively on the decision to join the compact, leaving questions on post‐formation diffusion patterns unexplored. We use a unique case of three interstate compacts that form simultaneously around the same issue—the COVID‐19 pandemic—to test how policy diffuses within compacts. We employ a novel diffusion methodology, network event history analysis (NEHA), to determine the role of compact membership in policy activity. We find that compact member states are no more active in adopting policy than non‐members, but that non‐member states use compacts to free ride when making their own adoption choices. We find that compacts serve to establish members as leaders, as non‐members' policy adoptions are strongly driven by the adoptions of compact members. We also find COVID‐19 policy diffusion to be strongly driven by state ideology. 

Abstract SPRC19 is a new database that seeks to capture a wide range of state policy actions in response to COVID-19 in the United States. Since March 2020 we have monitored state governments’ and multi-state associations’ websites for executive orders, agency rules, new legislation, and court decisions. We categorize each policy action into one of 206 distinct policies, then document the branch of government, source document, announcement date, implementation date, and expiration date (if applicable). We also record whether the action represents the introduction of a new policy or the expansion or contraction of an existing policy. The current release of SPRC19, v3.0, captures over 13,000 distinct policy actions through April 2020, which constitutes thousands more actions than similar resources over the same time period.