mõjuvalu

Mõjuvalu is a concept used in policy analysis and project appraisal to describe the quantitative or qualitative value assigned to the effects of a proposed action. It covers economic, social, environmental and institutional impacts and may be expressed in monetary terms or as non-monetary scores. The aim is to support comparisons of alternative options and to communicate potential consequences to stakeholders.

In practice, practitioners identify relevant impacts, estimate their magnitude and duration, and assign values or scores. Monetary valuation uses methods such as willingness-to-pay, avoided costs, or cost-of-illness calculations, while non-monetary valuation may rely on multi-criteria decision analysis, expert judgment, or scoring systems. Valuation is typically bounded by time horizons, discounting, uncertainty, and data quality, and may involve stakeholder input to reflect diverse perspectives.

Mõjuvalu is used in various contexts, including public sector impact assessments, environmental planning, urban development, healthcare program evaluations, and research funding decisions. It is commonly applied alongside cost-benefit analysis or multi-criteria decision analysis to support transparent decision-making and resource allocation.

Advantages of examining impact value include providing a structured framework for comparing options and improving accountability in policy processes. Limitations and criticisms focus on the difficulty of accurately valuing certain effects, data gaps, ethical concerns about monetizing social or ecological values, and the risk of overlooking distributional impacts across groups.

See also: impact assessment, cost-benefit analysis, multi-criteria decision analysis, environmental valuation.