Services
Economic Analysis Consultant Services
Sound decisions require more than good intentions. They require evidence about what things cost, what they’re worth, and what it would take to do more. Metis brings nearly five decades of applied research experience to economic analysis work that helps social sector leaders, funders, and policymakers understand the true cost of quality programs, quantify the return on investment of social interventions, and build the evidence base for strategic resource allocation. Our economists and applied researchers translate complex financial and systems data into accessible, decision-relevant tools that drive policy and investment.
Our Economic Analysis Services
Metis’s economic analyses are grounded in rigorous methodology and designed to produce findings that are actionable for practitioners planning programs, funders making investment decisions, and policymakers shaping systems.
Our economic analysis work includes:
- Cost modeling that estimates the resources required to deliver high-quality programs across a range of settings, program types, and scales, distinguishing between what programs currently spend and what quality requires
- Cost-benefit and return on investment (ROI) analysis that quantifies the long-term economic value of social investments, including savings in healthcare, education, and criminal justice costs
- Funding landscape and sustainability analysis that examines how programs are financed, identifies the distinction between sustainable recurring funding and time-limited sources, and surfaces the risks that funding instability poses to program quality and growth
- Supply and demand analysis that assesses unmet need relative to existing capacity, identifies access and equity gaps by geography and population, and models the investment required to close them
- Scalability analysis that extends program-level cost models to system-level projections, estimating the infrastructure, workforce, and capital investment required to expand high-quality programming at scale
- Policy-focused economic research that translates economic data into accessible, equity-centered frameworks for policymakers, funders, and community advocates
Get guidance at every step.
Support your organization from vision to results with seasoned consultants who know economic analysis inside and out.
Our Approach to Economic Analysis Consulting
We use a rigorous approach to economic analysis that combines established national frameworks with locally specific data to produce cost models and investment analyses that are credible, transparent, and decision-ready.
Reviewing Existing Research and Data
Since a well-grounded economic analysis builds on prior knowledge, we begin with a systematic review of relevant national frameworks, published cost studies, and publicly available data. This synthesis focuses our primary data collection on the questions that existing evidence cannot yet answer.
Defining the Analytical Framework
We determine the appropriate approach for the analysis, whether cost modeling, cost-benefit analysis, return on investment, funding landscape, or supply-and-demand analysis, and identify the national benchmarks and cost categories that will anchor the work.
Collecting Primary Data
We design and administer targeted data collection instruments, including provider surveys, key informant interviews, and administrative data requests, to capture the real costs and resource conditions that programs are experiencing on the ground.
Building and Calibrating the Model
We construct cost models from the bottom up, combining national benchmarks with local data on wages, facilities, and operating conditions. We distinguish clearly between what programs currently spend and what quality requires, and document all assumptions and limitations transparently.
Communicating Findings
We translate economic findings into accessible formats tailored to different audiences, including data visualizations, executive summaries, and stakeholder presentations, so that findings inform planning, funding, and policy conversations.
Our Economic Analysis Expertise
Erin Butto
With more than 20 years of experience in research, policy analysis, and project management, Erin provides executive leadership and analytic oversight across Metis’s economic analysis portfolio. She brings particular depth in cost modeling, cost-benefit analysis, and policy-focused economic research, translating complex data into actionable recommendations for policymakers, funders, and program administrators.
Why Partner With Metis Associates
Leverage a tenured team with deep expertise in your specific area of work.
Expertise Across the Full Range of Economic Methods
From cost modeling and cost-benefit analysis to funding landscape assessments and supply-and-demand analysis, our team brings deep technical expertise across the full spectrum of economic analysis methods used in the social sector. We know which tools fit which questions, and we apply them with rigor.
Analysis Grounded in the Social Sector
Our economists and applied researchers understand the systems, funding structures, and policy environments in which nonprofits, government agencies, and philanthropies operate. That context shapes every model we build and every finding we communicate, making our analyses more accurate and more useful than a generic economic study.
Findings That Move Decision-Makers
We know that an economic analysis is only as valuable as the decisions it drives. We translate complex cost models and financial data into clear, accessible deliverables, including data visualizations, policy briefs, and stakeholder presentations, that are designed to inform funders, policymakers, and practitioners.
Frequently Asked Questions: Economic Analysis
Cost modeling is a method for estimating the financial resources required to deliver a program or service at a defined level of quality. A rigorous cost model distinguishes between what programs currently spend and what they would need to spend to deliver consistently high-quality results. It can also be extended to estimate what it would cost to expand a program to reach more people.
Cost modeling estimates what it costs to deliver a program. Cost-benefit analysis goes a step further, comparing those costs to the economic value of the outcomes a program produces, such as savings in healthcare, education, or criminal justice costs, to calculate a return on investment. Depending on your goals, Metis can conduct one or both types of analysis.
Economic analysis and program evaluation are complementary approaches that, when combined, give a fuller picture of a program’s value. While evaluation tells you whether a program is working, economic analysis tells you what it costs to deliver it well and what return that investment generates. Metis can integrate cost modeling or cost-benefit analysis into an existing evaluation to help you answer not just “does this work?” but “is this worth it?”, strengthening the case you make to funders and policymakers.
Talk to us about your economic analysis needs
Get in touch with us to learn more about our services and how we can best help you achieve your mission.