Evaluation and Ranking of Iran’s Provinces in Terms of Mining Development Using Multicriteria Decision-Making (MCDM) Techniques

Abstract

Mining development is of prime importance for economic growth, industrialization, and resilience, particularly for countries rich in minerals, such as Iran. Using an excellent multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) method, this study attempted to determine provinces with respect to mining development by assessing other regions or provinces by placing them according to each other and similar indicators of development for each region of Iran through ranking them. The national statistical data identified 15 quantitative indicators with regard to employment, mineral production, infrastructure, and environmental safety. The CRITIC method was used to ensure that the criterion weights were objectively established, and the ranking effect of two leading MCDM techniques, TOPSIS and WASPAS, was computed. Sensitivity tests were used to investigate stability of findings under different weighting and model conditions. These regional discrepancies also showed statistically significant differences with provinces (i.e., Kerman, Yazd, and Razavi Khorasan) having the greatest level of correlation with the combined mineral resources, infrastructure, and institutional support. Provinces such as Ilam, Gilan, and Ardabil were losing ground due to inadequate investment, infrastructure, and skilled manpower. In addition, the consistency in rankings using different approaches contributes to the confidence in the proposed model. Moreover, this research facilitates a better perspective and a more comprehensive representation to reach the development of the mining sector in Iran as well as a more evidence-based overall framework for regional development planning (or sustainable management) and future production management.