The narrowing gap between vision and execution: Neoliberalization of PES in Costa Rica

Recent work has called into question the status of Costa Rica's Payments for Environmental Services program (PES) as an iconic example of market-based conservation. The actual practice of this program has proven to have only loose correspondence with its idealized neoliberal vision. Thus far, however, several important aspects of the program have remained under-analyzed. This paper identifies three key ways in which the gap between " vision" and " execution" is being narrowed: through changes to the way the program is financed, through promotion of competitive contracting, and through the removal of collective participation. The paper also explains the detrimental social and ecological implications of these actions. Analysis is situated in a theoretical framework that understands neoliberalization as an incomplete and adapting process, rather than a monolithic ideology that is uniform across history and geography. The empirical evidence demonstrates why this interpretation is essential for assessing the practical effect of neoliberal policies.