Multicriteria Evaluation and Fuzzy Set Theory: Applications in Planning for Sustainability

One of the main differences of evaiuation models is between monetary and non-monetary evaiuation. Cost-benefit analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis are well-known examples of a monetary evaiuation. In the past decades, the degraded state of the natural environment has become a key issue, and it is increasingly taken for granted that environmental and resource problems generally have at least far reaching economie and ecological consequences. Economic-environmental evaiuation and decision problems are conflictual in nature and, therefore, multicriteria techniques seem to be an appropriate modelling tooi. This paper attempts to analyze in a critica! way some essential aspects of social cost-benefit analysis and multicriteria decision methods. In particular, the paper deals with uncertainty and measurement problems in environmental policy analysis, seen from the viewpoint of the measurement level of information (including fuzzy set methods). Particular emphasis will be placed on methods for concerted planning evaiuation.