Multicriteria analysis as a better tool for the selection of public projects alternatives

Abstract It is the duty of a State to stimulate nation’s economy and social welfare, using their limited funds. This is the general purpose of the so-called public projects. The demand for these investments continues to increase, but not always they fulfil that purpose, quite the opposite. In the current economic context, it becomes urgent to revert this scenario. Often, this poor outcome can be traced to a wrong decision on the project to implement. This is possibly the decision with the greatest impact on the whole project lifecycle. Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) is still the dominant tool for project selection, but the increasing interest in intangible and non-monetized parameters, opened the door for other better fitting tools like Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). This paper presents a critical analysis on the traditional approaches to the selection of these projects, pointing out directions for governments and other public entities to make better and more informed decisions about the projects to implement.