Evaluation of the Logistics Performance of North, Middle and South Corridor Countries Within the Scope of the One Belt One Road Initiative Using Hybrid MCDM Methods

OpenAlex Turkish

Global trade is increasingly driven by transport corridors, and a nation’s competitiveness in global trade is closely linked to its logistics performance within these routes. This research explores the logistics efficiency of countries positioned along land-based segments of China’s “One Belt One Road” initiative. Specifically, the study compares the middle corridor “formally known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and inclusive of Türkiye” with the northern and southern corridors. Logistics performance index data for the years 2012, 2016, 2018, and 2023 were assessed using five multi-criteria decision-making methods: MEREC, CRITIC, Common Weighting Method (CWM), Aggregate Weighting Method (AWM) and MABAC. Results indicate that China consistently holds the top position in logistics performance, while Poland and Türkiye also demonstrate strong rankings. Conversely, countries such as Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan exhibit notably low performance levels. The criterion weights determined using the CRITIC and MEREC methods varied from year to year, while the results obtained using the CWM and AWM common weighting methods were found to be similar. The weighting of performance criteria -such as customs efficiency, tracking capabilities, and infrastructure- varied across years, with different criteria gaining prominence at different times depending on the method used.