Validity of the Ahp/Anp: Comparing Apples and Oranges

Determining the validity of the AHP/ANP is an important issue. This paper discusses the complex and often controversial field of validation. The debate regarding the validity of the AHP/ANP is evaluated, from which the need for a different approach is identified. The AHP/ANP is a decision-making methodology that should be located within a qualitative, subjectivist or constructivist paradigm where different measures of validating research become relevant. The goal of this paper is three-fold: First, to locate the AHP/ANP within the field of Interpretivist qualitative research; Second, to argue for the importance of validating the AHP/ANP in terms of criteria important to the decision makers rather than some objectively given or normatively defined criteria; Third, to stimulate research specifically aimed at testing the validity of the AHP/ANP in terms of decision makers’ criteria. http://dx.doi.org/10.13033/ijahp.v3i1.60