Focusing on Important Problems

Research in Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) and its subfields (multi-attribute utility theory or Decision Analysis, AHP, Goal Programming, MCDA, multi-objective mathematical programming, EMO) is very active. However, our general feeling is that bright, young people do not focus their energies sufficiently on solving important problems despite many very important problems that deserve attention. Some of the problems are critical to the well-being of the world. The purpose of our essay is to identify these very important problems (or mega trends, as they are sometimes called) and briefly discuss how the research community could help solve or at least alleviate such problems. The reader could interpret our essay as suggestions for a research agenda or program. It does not matter whether we are AHP scholars, multi-objective optimizers, or decision analysts, everyone’s contribution is needed.