Assessing program impact: Water Resources Planning Act, Title III.

Abstract

The rapid growth of federal domestic spending has prompted the call for evaluation of the many federal assistance programs, with hope for reduction or elimination of the ineffective programs. This study is an assessment of the impact of assistance to states for comprehensive planning of water and related land resources. A bargaining model is used to explain and analyze the observed changes in state planning capability since the introduction of federal funds, and to sort out those changes attributable to the grant program. The Title III grant program was developed from the recommendations of the Senate Select Committee on Water Resources and was used as an incentive to ensure passage of the Water Resources Planning Act (P. L. 89-80). Subsequently the Title III program has been oriented toward the needs of the states and has provided important financial resources for significant improvement in the planning capability of most recipient agencies.