Evaluating strategies for enhancing factors influencing sharing economy practices in the construction industry: A hybrid SWARA–WASPAS approach

The sharing economy (SE) practices are rapidly gaining widespread attention as a novel approach to achieve circular economy objectives across diverse industries, highlighting their value in enhancing resource efficiency through collaborative consumption. However, the application of SE practices in the construction industry (CI) remains comparatively low due to the absence of identification of factors and strategies to enhance overall sharing practices. In light of this, the present study aims to identify and prioritize the strategies for enhancing factors influencing SE practices in the CI. This study proposes a framework incorporating Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) and Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) techniques to achieve the aim of this study. The relative influence of factors was evaluated using SWARA, while WASPAS was used to prioritize strategies of SE practices in the construction domain. Twenty-four SE factors and 29 strategies were identified and finalized through the preliminary data collection stage (literature review, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaire survey) and discussions with industry experts as the primary data collection. The findings reveal that “additional income generation” is the top-ranked factor, while “provide education and training and establish incubation centers” is the top-ranked strategy in SE practices in the CI. In the end, a sensitivity analysis with 15 experiments was conducted to observe the robustness of the results. This study presents a structured and systematic approach for evaluating SE factors and strategies while presenting a roadmap to successfully implement SE practices in the construction domain.