Qualitative Multicriteria Methods in the Netherlands

The evaluation of any type of economic development requires a broad (i.e. multi-dimensional) analytical framework in order to capture all relevant socio-economic aspects. For instance, the assessment of monument conservation strategies, of environmental management projects or medical health care programmes includes a wide variety of external effects (which are often also of an intangible nature) which cannot be adequately covered by means of conventional pricing systems; the «measuring rod of money» can only be used as the analytical tool par excellence, if the assumption of a perfectly operating market system is plausible. Only in such cases the notion of a willingness to pay and of a consumer surplus (necessary to estimate the social benefits of a proposed action) is meaningful.