Course objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Discuss critically the concept of participation and its different manifestations by referring to the different levels of Participation as described by Arnstein’s ladder of participation (article will be made available through Canvas).
2. Describe and explain the main tasks and dilemmas involved in business and policy analysis, and discuss the role that participatory methods and Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) plays within this context.
3. Analyze and evaluate the participatory and MCA method in terms of its applicability, sequential steps, strengths, weaknesses, and common pitfalls.
4. Design a participatory process and a workshop event with the help of the course templates.
5. Design and construct an operational MCA framework by translating theoretical insights into a real-world application.
6. Participate in the preparation and execution of a participatory event by simulating a 3 hours participatory event with your fellow students.
7. Simulate and reflect on the implementation of MCA in practice, identifying challenges and negotiating trade-offs among stakeholders.

Sustainable development is a future oriented multidimensional process of change that requires an ongoing debate in science, policy and society. Participation is therefore an important condition for policymaking in pursuit of sustainable development. Without participation no sustainable development, is the common opinion. This course combines participatory methods and multi-criteria analysis (MCA) to equip students with the skills to design, organize, and facilitate inclusive decision-making processes. Students will explore what participation means in practice, who should be involved, and which methods and tools can be used to ensure meaningful engagement. At the same time, the course introduces MCA as a structured approach for evaluating multiple, often conflicting, criteria within policy and business contexts. This course examines the theoretical foundations of MCA and critically assesses its practical application to real-world sustainability challenges. By integrating participatory methods with MCA, students learn how to apply these methods to real-world sustainability challenges, critically assess their
theoretical and practical foundations, and support balanced, transparent, and informed decision-making.