Analysing trade-offs in land-use decision-making: Learning to use AHP as a tool - Module 2
A training course by Xiaoting Hou-Jones (IIED, UK) and Alan Renwick (Lincoln University, New Zealand)
Overview | Module 1 | Module 2 | Module 3
Practical insights into how to apply AHP to understand trade-offs in land-use decision-making
Please only proceed to this module after you have completed Module 1.
This module is designed to help you consider key practical issues when using AHP as a methodology to understand trade-offs in land-use decision-making. The module includes first-hand ? insights from applying AHP in New Zealand, Ghana and Zambia.
1. How to design your interview approaches using AHP?
This video provides some tips on how to design your interview approach using AHP. You will also find templates in the reading materials to help you develop your research approaches
2. How to select and refine criteria and sub-criteria?
You will learn about domains and sub-domains, and how they are defined. You will also explore issues to consider and the processes adopted to define those domains and sub-criteria, and potential methods to determine domains and sub-criteria. Examples will be given based on experiences from New Zealand, Ghana and Zambia .
2.1 Reading materials:
- Criteria in AHP: a systematic review of literature
A systematic review of literature published in 2015 on how the criteria are being defined and measured in AHP.
- Next generation systems: a framework for prioritising innovation
You will have read this paper as part of Module 1. In it, you can also find examples of domains and sub-domains and how they are defined.
3. How to use Excel tool to assist interviews when applying AHP?
You will get to know how an Excel tool was developed by Lincoln University to assist applying AHP in a participatory manner with land managers, and how this tool can be used to generate graphics to communicate and illustrate your research results. This will also cover the consistency ratio and what to do if the consistency ratio is in excess of 0.1.
4. How to design a participatory approach using AHP - The example from New Zealand.
This will cover different techniques and issues to consider when designing a participatory approach with individuals and groups . It also covers in more detail how to provide feedback and interpret results.
After going through all the materials above, have a go at testing your knowledge by answering the following questions:
- What are the practical issues to consider when designing your own AHP methodology?
- How can criteria and sub-criteria in AHP help shed light on factors and decision-making drivers of land managers? How do you select and refine those criteria and sub-criteria?
- How would you use and adapt an Excel-based tool for AHP in your own research?
- What’s a ‘consistency ratio’? How would you use and interpret it when applying AHP in your research?
- How is the weight generated? How do you use and interpret weights?
- How would you design a participatory approach when applying AHP? What are the important issues to consider?