Decision Analysis and Political Processes

Decision analysis has been with us for at least half a century. Over that time, it has developed from a theoretical paradigm for individual rational choice to a practical tool for individuals, small groups, and “unitary” organizations, which helps them toward sound decision making mindful of the behavioural characteristics of individuals and group dynamics. Decision analysis has also shown its worth in the context of stakeholder engagement and public participation. The time is right for it to be more widely used in making societal decisions. However, to achieve that, we need to realize that in many circumstances it will only be one input to the political process that leads to the actual decision. Recognizing that suggests that our community of decision analysts needs to deconstruct our paradigm and attend more to communicating the result of the analysis in comparison with other inputs to the societal decision.