Effective rural development requires targeted assistance.

The Federal Government creates programs to meet specific identifiable needs, and initially programs tend to be well defined. However, somewhere along the way, some programs lose focus and extend benefits to groups not included in tlie program's original scope. Political economists call this the "spread effect." It results from administrative actions and the continual process of legislative modification. The present Administration is concerned that the spread effect is reducing many programs' ability to meet the needs of persons and areas originally intended as program participants. As a consequence, the President has called for tighter control over the targeting of Federal programs.