Economic Brief No. (EB-2) 6 pp

March 2006

Better Targeting, Better Outcomes

A multitude of design decisions influence the performance of voluntary conservation programs. This Economic Brief is one of a set of five exploring the implications of decisions policymakers and program managers must make about who is eligible to receive payments, how much can be received, for what action, and the means by which applicants are selected. The particular issue addressed here is options for targeting program payments to where they can yield the greatest gain.

Keywords: conservation program design, targeting, environmental benefits, Conservation Reserve Program, CRP, Environmental Quality Incentive Program, EQIP, Environmental Benefit Index

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