Economic Brief No. (EB-3) 6 pp

March 2006

Participant Bidding Enhances Cost Effectiveness

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 examined here is the potential benefits of allowing farmers to "bid" for the activity they will undertake and the level of payment they would receive for it.

Keywords: conservation programs, conservation program design, bidding, cost effectiveness, environmental benefits, agri-environmental policy

In this publication...