BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The Multi-Actor Multi-Criteria Analysis (MAMCA) method is a way of evaluating several project or policy options through taking stakeholder preferences explicitly into account. MAMCA is an extension of Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA), differing from the latter by explicitly introducing stakeholders before the criteria and weights are defined. Through encouraging stakeholders to reflect on what they want and the rationales behind this, MAMCA facilitates reaching consensus. Online software is available to conduct the evaluation.

  • Informed Decision-Making: Better-informed decisions through the inclusion of multiple sources of knowledge.

  • Enhanced Stakeholder Support: Can increase support for those decisions among stakeholders.

  • Problem Ownership and Learning: Fosters problem ownership and learning among stakeholders.

  • Data availability: Like any model, accuracy of outputs depends on quality of inputs, but high-precision data on impacts can be difficult or costly to find.

  • Participation: engaging a representative sample of participants can be hard and participants may struggle to assign weights to impact factors.

  • Exploring why: Care must be taken to not blindly follow the outcome and instead unpick why certain solutions rank high or low.

  • Conflict: MAMCA itself is not a conflict-solving tool and a willingness to cooperate is required.

EXAMPLE:

Looper: MAMCA was applied in the LOOPER project to assess different solutions to mobility problems in Brussels from the perspectives of transport operators, NGOs, citizens, and authorities.

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