One of the most important yet least-studied governance challenges is getting the targets of public policy to act in ways that program designers intend. A health insurance program will not promote economic security if eligible people—who would benefit from having protection against the risk of medical bankruptcy—fail to sign up for coverage. A requirement that restaurant workers wash their hands before handling food will not prevent the spread of illness if kitchen staff ignore it. An anti-smoking information campaign won't discourage tobacco use if people ignore the message. As R. Kent Weaver (2009: 2) argues, “Very few policies are ‘self-implementing’—that is, a declaration of policy requires no further actions to bring about the desired changes in policy outputs and societal outcomes. And most policies that are not self-implementing require actions by a broad array of ordinary citizens, corporations, or other actors if they are to achieve their objectives.”...
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