Key words: Counties (Powiats), Wielkopolskie Province, Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making Method (FMCDM)

Abstract

The main goal of this study is to apply a fuzzy multi-criteria decision making (FMCDM) method in evaluating the social and economic development of counties (“powiat” in Polish) in the Wielkopolskie Province. The first step of the procedure was to build a hierarchical structure of indicators (criteria and the related subcriteria) of the social and economic development. Four criteria have been identified, namely: (1) natural (i.e. environmental assets), (2) social and demographic (i.e. unemployment rate, migrations), (3) infrastructure (i.e. municipal and regional roads, sewage system), and (4) economic (i.e. farming culture level, manufacturing potential). In the next steps, the means of fuzzy numbers were calculated, and the fuzzy weight vectors for the criteria and the fuzzy decisions matrices were established. On the basis of this, the specific formula was applied to establish the fuzzy weight of the synthetic characteristic, which defined the county's development level ratings. The obtained rate weights can constitute a basis for a typological classification of the powiats. Taking into account the given principles, four classes of counties were established, which differ significantly in terms of social and economic development level (I – high development level, II – average, III – low and IV – very low). The highest level is observed in counties surrounding the City of Poznań, the lowest – in those located in the peripheral northern and eastern parts of the province.

INTRODUCTION

The level of social and economic development depends on numerous factors. In order to describe it synthetic characteristics are often used. These are functions of simple characteristics. The set values of simple characteristics constitute the basis of ranking objects, i.e. powiats (administrative districts), according to the level of their development and typological classification.

There are many well-known classic methods of establishing synthetic characteristics based on the idea introduced by Hellwig (1968). These, however, are insufficient if a set of simple characteristics, which characterise the objects, contains not only quantitative characteristics, but also qualitative ones. In such a case it is possible to introduce fuzzy multi-criteria decision making methods to establish a synthetic characteristic.