Ecological compensation in China: trends and opportunities for incentive-based policies towards a greener China

This report traces the rise of eco-compensation, explores its current use, quantifies trends, and provides recommendations to strengthen impacts. Eco-compensation is poorly understood outside of China; even within China, the disparate nature of data and the diversity of programs means that key trends and lessons are easily overlooked. Drawing on a unique dataset of eco-compensation programs from records across government, academia, and the news media, this report tracks the rise of programs in terms of number, expenditure, governance structure, and function across provinces in China.