kustannushyötykriteereillä

Kustannushyötyanalyysi, or cost-benefit analysis (CBA), is a systematic method for evaluating the economic merits of a project, policy, or program by comparing expected costs with expected benefits. The central aim is to determine whether the overall benefits exceed the costs and to compare alternative options on an equivalent monetary basis.

Typical steps include defining the decision context and boundaries; identifying all relevant costs and benefits; monetizing them where possible; applying a discount rate to reflect the time value of money; selecting an appropriate time horizon; and conducting sensitivity analyses to test robustness of results. Non-monetary effects, such as equity or environmental integrity, may be considered qualitatively when monetization is difficult. The outcomes most commonly reported are net present value (NPV), the benefit-cost ratio (BCR), and, less frequently, internal rate of return (IRR).

Applications are widespread in public policy and regulation, where CBA helps assess regulatory proposals, infrastructure investments, and health or environmental policies. In the business realm, cost-benefit analysis supports capital budgeting and project appraisal, aiding decisions on resource allocation.

Limitations of the method include the reliance on monetization and discounting, which can be controversial, as well as data quality and parameter choices. Critics argue that CBA may undervalue long-term environmental, social, or ethical impacts and overlook distributional effects. In Finnish discourse, kustannushyöty or kustannushyötyanalyysi denotes the analogous framework used to compare options by weighing costs against benefits.