Treatment options for qualitative impacts from transport projects in economic project evaluations

Abstract

When assessing the benefits of transport projects, there is debate on whether qualitative assessments should simply be listed or combined into an index with weighted scores. While creating a weighted index offers an appealing sense of quantification, this paper argues that doing so introduces significant subjectivity and arbitrary quantifications that risk distorting investment decisions. The process of assigning weights to diverse benefits, such as access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, is often subjective and may not reflect actual community priorities or long-term outcomes. Instead, this paper recommends that qualitatively assessed benefits be listed and reported transparently without attempting to combine them into a single score. This approach allows skilled decision-makers to consider each benefit on its own merit, ensuring more informed and balanced transport investment decisions, free from the distortions caused by overly simplistic quantification methods.