This article is concerned with the increased popularity of noncoercive methods to achieve public policy goals. It is contended that certain functions and benefits regarding coercion by government are overlooked, while conceptual and practical problems in employing noncoercive approaches are, to a considerable degree, neglected. The discussion concludes with a call for a more integrated approach in which coercive and noncoercive approaches to government action are seen as complementary, rather than mutually exclusive.