id: copenhagen-consensus
title: Copenhagen Consensus Expert Prioritisation
description: >-
  A method where a panel of economists prioritises global challenges by
  cost-benefit analysis, used by the Copenhagen Consensus Center founded
  by Bjorn Lomborg. Combines expert panels with economic evaluation to
  direct attention to the most effective interventions.
source: Copenhagen Consensus Center
source_url: https://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/
tags: [prioritisation, experts, cost-benefit, global, policy]
forked_from: null
image: null
steps:
  - headline: Commission challenge papers
    description: >-
      For each challenge, an expert is commissioned to write a paper
      assessing interventions and their cost-benefit ratios, with
      transparent methodology.
  - headline: Expert panel deliberates
    description: >-
      A panel of distinguished economists reads the papers, questions the
      authors, and deliberates on the relative value of interventions
      across challenges.
  - headline: Rank by return
    description: >-
      The panel ranks interventions by their benefit-cost ratio, producing
      a list that directs attention and resources to the highest-return
      options.
  - headline: Publish with dissent
    description: >-
      The rankings are published with the panel's reasoning and any
      dissenting notes, so the basis is transparent and open to challenge.
  - headline: Invite response
    description: >-
      The wider community of experts and the public are invited to respond,
      with the possibility of revisiting rankings in light of new
      evidence.
outcome: >-
  A transparent prioritisation of interventions, based on cost-benefit
  analysis and expert deliberation, published with reasoning for
  scrutiny.
practice: >-
  The cost-benefit frame has limits — it can miss values not easily
  monetised. Use it as one input, not as the answer. Transparency of
  method is what makes it challengeable.