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A novel deliberative multicriteria evaluation approach to ecosystem service valuation
Full text linkAlthough efforts to address ecosystem services in decision making have advanced considerably in recent years, there remain challenges related to valuation. In particular, conventional economic approaches have been criticized for their inability to capture the collective nature of ecosystem services, for their emphasis on monetary metrics, and the difficulty of assessing the value of ecosystem services to future generations. We present a deliberative multicriteria evaluation (DMCE) method that combines the advantages of multicriteria decision analysis with a deliberation process that allows citizens and scientists to exchange knowledge and evaluate ecosystem services in a social context. Compared with previous applications we add the following: (i) a choice task that can be expected to lead to a more reliable assessment of trade-offs among ecosystem services, and (ii) an explicit consideration of the future by both presenting specific socioeconomic scenarios and asking participating citizens to serve as “trustees” for future generations. We implemented our DMCE framework with 11 panels of residents of the upper Merrimack River watershed in New Hampshire with the goal of assessing the relative value of 10 different ecosystem services in the form of trade-off weights. We found that after group deliberation and expert scientific input, all groups except one were able to reach internal consensus on the relative value of these ecosystem services. Additionally, the pattern of trade-off weights across groups was reasonably similar; there was no statistically significant effect of the specific future scenarios that were presented to the groups. Results of a survey given to participants after the deliberative process revealed that most felt that their opinion during the deliberation was heard by the others and that they were influential on the outcome. Further, the vast majority were satisfied with the outcome of the deliberation. We conclude by discussing the strengths and limitations of our framework at an operational level
The New Hampshire Voluntary Paid Family and Medical Leave Program: Did the program increase coverage?
No full textIn this brief, author Kristin Smith evaluates whether the New Hampshire Voluntary Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program increased paid family and medical leave coverage. The NH Voluntary Paid Leave program launched at the start of 2023. Granite State Poll data show no change in the share of workers with medical, parental, or family medical leave benefits between December 2022 (pre-program) and December 2024. Specifically, about 3 percent of New Hampshire workers were enrolled in the NH PFML program by June 2025. In the first two- and one-half years of the program, it did little at the state level to increase overall paid family and medical leave benefits and maintained inequities in coverage by sex, job type, education level, wage level, and business size.
The brief compares the voluntary program approach in New Hampshire to states that have enacted comprehensive, universal, state-run programs that provide varying levels of paid family and medical leave. Smith concludes with measures to strengthen the NH voluntary program. In addition, she suggests that requiring more disclosure about the industries, employers, and workers who are covered by the New Hampshire program would allow for a more comprehensive understanding of who is being reached by the current program
Most Vermonters Support Extending Obamacare Subsidies & Establishing Single Payer System 1/26/2026
No full textMajorities of Vermont residents support extending temporary Obamacare subsidies, expanding Obamacare overall, loosening restrictions on Medicaid eligibility, and establishing a national single-payer health care system. Vermonters strongly disapprove of President Trump and Congress\u27s handling of health care. Nearly half of state residents say that paying for overall medical expenses is difficult and two-thirds say that their costs have increased in the past twelve months