Resource description:
MCDA is an "umbrella term to describe a collection of formal approaches which seek to take explicit account of multiple criteria in helping individuals or groups explore decisions that matter" (Belton and Stewart, 2002, p. 2). The basic idea of MCDA methods is to evaluate the performance of alternative courses of action with respect to criteria that capture the key dimensions of the decision-making problem (e.g. ecological, economic and social sustainability), involving human judgment and preferences. They are rooted in operational research and support for single decision-makers but recently the emphasis has shifted towards multi-stakeholder processes to structure decision alternatives and their consequences.
Author/Contact:
Eszter Kelemen
Senior research fellow at ESSRG Ltd. and senior lecturer at Corvinus University of Budapest
kelemen.eszter@essrg.hu
OPPLA username: ekelemen
Requirements:
- Ability to work with researchers from different research fields as well as with non-academic stakeholders
- Collect some new data (can be both qualitative and quantitative)
- Software is needed (licenced and freely available software is also available) with advanced software knowledge
Advantages:
- Covers wide range of ecosystem services
- Can facilitate multi-stakeholder processes, transparency and discussion about the subjective elements in policy analysis
- Can structure an assessment along both cognitive and normative dimensions, and address uncertainty by sensitivity analysis
Constraints:
- Representativeness (only a small group of stakeholders usually involved)
- Some criteria such as cultural heritage or provisioning services vital for sustenance might not be amenable for trade-offs
- Allows manipulation and closing down of policy discourses if not used in participatory and transparent way
Licence:
- Free, no licence
Development stage:
- Full, working product
- spmcda.pdf (428.3 KB)