RFF’s mission is to provide research and analysis of the highest quality to help improve the present system by which our society addresses public policy issues. This is accomplished through a program of careful and impartial research, independent policy analysis, program evaluation, and education and outreach programs. Its staff is comprised of more than 30 professional economists, policy analysts, lawyers, geographers, political scientists, and other social scientists.

RFF staff conduct a wide range of different types of evaluations of federal programs that can help federal agencies improve the management and operation of their programs and develop strategies to improve the way regulatory programs are designed to make them more cost-effective. RFF researchers have proven expertise in: estimating the costs and benefits of federal programs; developing market incentive approaches to achieve desired government policies; evaluating the pros and cons of alternative federal approaches to achieving policy goals; developing tools for ranking the risks of different federal policy approaches; identifying key implementation obstacles to achieving desired outcomes; and evaluating what data are needed to measure government program performance.

SIN: 874-1 Consulting

RFF researchers have proven expertise in: identifying key policy and implementation issues needing attention; conducting independent research and analysis of controversial issues and disseminating the products of this analysis to stakeholders and policymakers; providing expert advice on substantive and methodological issues; developing policy options that are creative and yet grounded in the real-world constraints facing the federal government; and hosting major conferences to present the results of research on a range of issues facing federal regulatory agencies. These skills allow us to conduct research on a wide range of topics.

SIN: 874-2 Facilitation Services

RFF’s reputation as an independent research and educational organization provides an excellent forum for bringing together diverse stakeholders and policymakers in a neutral setting to discuss critical, and often divisive, policy issues. To support those activities, RFF offers professional staff meeting and facilitation resources as well as first-rate conference facilities. RFF's researchers, as well as its External Affairs staff (communications and meeting planning personnel), are skilled in helping develop and execute many types of events -- from small off-the-record meetings, to technical/academic workshops, to policy and press briefings, to multi-day conferences -- to meet different objectives (stakeholder dialogue, focus groups, research agenda setting, and release of research results/policy recommendations, to name just a few).

SIN: 874-3 Survey Services

RFF researchers have extensive experience in designing and implementing surveys for a variety of purposes. These include: designing, pilot-testing, and implementing sophisticated surveys to obtain information on people’s willingness-to-pay for environmental improvements; gathering reliable information about the costs and benefits of alternative policy or program approaches; and conducting open-ended interviews to gather information that is more qualitative in nature.