Multi-Criteria Appraisal (MCA)

Home What we do Evaluation & Impact Assessment Multi-Criteria Appraisal (MCA)

MCA is an appraisal and evaluation technique that accounts for the role of economic, social and environmental factors in decision-making. Unlike CBA or SROI it does not require the monetization (monetary valuation) of social and environmental outcomes. It highlights the trade-offs among competing interventions, competing interests at play, and competing objectives (social, economic, environmental).

Our experience in applying Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) and using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) suggests that MCA is more useful than SROI or CBA when:

Clients do not wish to put a monetary tag on social and environmental impacts.
Applying monetary values on social and environmental impacts is too difficult or too imprecise.
There are competing objectives or competing stakeholders, and the objective is to build consensus for designing and implementing sustainable interventions, over time.

We can apply MCA and MCDM:

In a variety of areas, such as social or environmental interventions.
For a range of sectors including national NGOs, INGOs and across the private and public sectors.
At a variety of levels – project, programme or policy levels.

For more information on MCA download: Multi-Criteria Appraisal briefing

NEF aims to create a new economy that works for people and within environmental limits. We are guided by three missions:

A new social settlement
To ensure people are paid well, have more time off to spend with their families, and have access to the things we all need for a decent life.

A Green New Deal
A plan for government-led investment to reduce the carbon we emit and boost nature, while creating a new generation of jobs.

The democratic economy
To devolve state power and transform ownership of the economy to give everyone an equal stake in the places where we live and work.