Socio-economic calculations | N0041N

The client/company that collaborates in the course Socio-economic calculations has a planned investment/measure that they want help to evaluate. In decision situations, there may be many different decision alternatives, which means that many different consequences must be assessed and weighed.

The aim of the course is to provide an introduction to how economic benefit-cost analysis is carried out. Decision makers are daily faced with a number of different decisions where they are forced to weigh different alternatives against each other. For example, should the municipality invest in large schools, or should money be used to maintain schools in rural areas? Should the state invest in the Norrbotten line or should they invest in high-speed trains between Stockholm/Gothenburg/Malmö? For a company, this may involve making decisions about different investment options. In order to make well-founded decisions on these issues, structured documentation is required that addresses not only the business costs but also reflects and evaluates the societal benefits and costs that may arise. Socio-economic analyses provide such information, as they are based on a series of steps in which the effects of various initiatives are specified and evaluated in terms of benefits and costs.

What does the client/company get?

The client/company that collaborates in the course Socio-economic calculations has a planned investment/measure that they want help to evaluate. As mentioned above, it may be a municipal activity that is considering various measures, such as smaller groups in preschool, shorter care times or building more bicycle lanes. In these decision situations, there may be many different decision alternatives, which means that many different consequences must be assessed and weighed up. What the client/company gets help with is precisely to produce good decision-making documents that are well structured, where all significant consequences are clearly stated and where the value of the benefits of the measure is set against the costs that it gives rise to.

How does it work?

The course Socio-economic calculations (N0041N) includes a written report (equivalent to 3 credits) where the purpose is to give the students the opportunity to practice using the tools (principles and methods) covered in the course to carry out a simple socio-economic analysis of a hypothetical decision situation. The idea of business collaboration is that the client/company has a real decision situation that they face and that they want the students to analyse with the help of socio-economic impact assessment. The collaboration means that the client/company presents its decision situation to the students, provides the data they have access to and that the students then perform an impact assessment that is finally presented to the company.

What is required from the client?

• A problem statement (in Swedish or English).
• Desired result
• A contact person. The contact person at the company needs to be familiar with the problem and genuinely interested in the assignment.
• Attend meetings when the need arises. The number of meetings varies, roughly speaking 3-4 meetings and preferably a visit to the workplace for the students.
  

• Syllabus Socio-economic calculations External link, opens in new window.

Expression of interest

• Register your interest here External link, opens in new window.
  (Opens in Swedish)