American Public Policy: Promise and Performance

Peters organizes the book around a dual focus: the procedural mechanisms of policymaking and the substantive content of specific policy domains. Part I examines the nature of public policy, its instruments, and the governmental structures through which it operates, including federalism, separation of powers, and subgovernments. Part II traces the policy process from agenda setting through legitimation, implementation, budgeting, and evaluation. Part III analyzes substantive issues including economic policy, tax, health care, Social Security and welfare, education, energy, environment, defense, and social values .

First published in 1982 as 'Process and Performance,' the book is now in its thirteenth edition, demonstrating its durability as a teaching text . Each edition reflects contemporary developments. The eighth edition (2009) added coverage of the financial crisis and climate control . The eleventh edition (2018) addressed political gridlock and the Affordable Care Act . The thirteenth edition (2025) adds John Hoornbeek as coauthor and continues to update substantive policy coverage for current events .

Substantive chapters address economic policy, tax policy, health care (including the Affordable Care Act and options for national health insurance), Social Security and welfare, education policy, energy and the environment, defense and law enforcement, and social issues including abortion, LGBTQ rights, school prayer, and marijuana legalization . The book also covers cost-benefit analysis and ethical analysis of public policy in its final section . This breadth allows students to see how abstract procedural concepts apply to concrete policy debates they encounter in public life.

Chapter 3 presents a survey of theoretical models for explaining why governments choose particular policies. These include the stages model, institutional models, the advocacy-coalition framework, and the concept that 'policy causes politics' . Peters also covers bounded rationality, multiple streams, incrementalism, iron triangles, issue networks, optimal decision-making, and constructivist models. This theoretical pluralism reflects his approach throughout the book: rather than advocating one explanatory framework, he equips readers with multiple lenses for analyzing how and why policy outcomes occur.

The title captures the tension between what public policy promises to achieve and what it actually delivers. Peters examines both the aspirations embedded in policy design—the goals governments set for solving social problems—and the actual performance of programs in achieving those goals. This dual focus runs through every chapter, from the procedural analysis of implementation challenges to the substantive evaluation of whether specific policies like welfare reform or environmental regulation have met their stated objectives. The title signals that understanding policy requires assessing both intention and outcome.

The book is primarily designed as a textbook for undergraduate courses in public policy, pre-law, and public management . Instructors describe it as 'accessible' while maintaining depth, with one reviewer noting it is 'well-organized and detailed' for undergraduate students . However, its comprehensive coverage and Peters's reputation as a leading scholar make it useful for graduate students and practitioners seeking a systematic overview of the field. The thirteenth edition continues this pedagogical orientation with updated data, graphics, and coverage of contemporary policy debates.