American Public Policy: Promise and Performance 8th (eighth) edition

by B. Guy Peters

Now considered a classic amongst political experts, "American Public Policy" is an excellent overview of the fundamental processes and content of American public policy. Peters gives a clear exposition of the public policy environment from agenda setting to evaluation, identifying the governmental structures and procedures through which policy is designed and implemented. With characteristic flair for lucid and lively discussion, Peters examines the problems, goals, and important issues in substantive policy areas, including health care, social security and welfare, education, energy, environment, defense and law enforcement.

A new chapter on social policy covering important contemporary topics such as abortion, school prayer, and gay rights enhances the currency of this accomplished review of public policy.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Textbooks, Grad School

Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Luigi Berinde · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know it might be cringe to mark a textbook as read, but my professor literally made us read this book (12th edition, not 7th) from START to END, so you’re CRAZY if you think im not gonna mark this as read.

I HATED THIS. HATED IT. Public policy is one of those things that’s not really complicated but is made out to be complicated just so people can claim they are experts. This whole book was just a whole lot of sentences amounting to absolutely nothing. HATED IT!

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a textbook on public policy that has gone through many editions. The substance is very good; sometimes the writing style is a bit of a challenge.

The b ook is organized sensibly. The first part explores what we mean by public policy, the key structures that affect policymaking in the U.S. (e.g., federalism and separation of powers), and models of policy-making.

Part Two? The making of public policy is the focus. Stages of the policy process are considered--as well as budgeting. The section has separate chapters on agenda setting, legitimating policy choices, implementation, budgeting, and program evaluation and change.

Part Three is valuable, as it examines different substantive policy issues, including, among others, economic policy, tax policy, health policy, and energy and the environment.

There are nice features to this book, including an interesting consideration of policy ethics, with a problem about whom one might wish to save from death, while allowing others to die.

A fine textbook. . . .

[Steven Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has gone through many editions; this is one of the earlier versions. A pretty standard text in public policy. Not the most felicitously written volume. But it does cover the waterfron pretty well. I used this as a textbook before and it worked fairly well. Not the best, but better than other volumes that I have used. The book examines several issues--(1) What is public policy?; (2) How is public policy made?; (3) What are the outlines of basic policy issues (e.g., tax policy, educational policy, energy and the environment)?; (4) What are basic tools of policy analysis?

Overall, a good solid volume.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, for the most part. The theoretical portion is comprehensive while also digestible. The issue-based, practical sections would also earn approval except for ideology-creep and, on more than one occasion, vague generalizations treated as truth. It's somewhat unfair to hold this book to platinum standard because it attempts to do the impossible: capture all of American public policy in a (relatively) short book. The succinctness is appreciated. But most of the issue section should be approached with a healthy skepticism.

[Doug Morrisey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should be a requireds reading, maybe even a full class should be dedicated to it in secondary and higher education. Peters writes a straightforward description of just how policy is developed at the federal level and only slightly indicates his center-left political leanings. A good facilitator could easily balance those leanings to make them a bit more neutral.