Analysis of Results of Experts’ Perspectives of Sustainable Regional Competitiveness Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process Multi-Criteria Method

Regional competitiveness is essential for sustainable development, driven by complex and interrelated factors. This study applies the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to assess experts’ perspectives of the primary factors influencing regional competitiveness, including factors like the economy, the labor market, poverty and social inclusion, health, education, environmental sustainability, transport infrastructure, technology/science and the digital society, high-tech industry growth, and innovation. From a comprehensive list of over 250 regions in the EU, selection of regions was made based on their ranked Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI), from the region with the highest index to the region with the lowest index. This involved choosing one representative region from each of the fifty RCI rankings. The selected regions included SE11 (Stockholm, Sweden, RCI: 1.08), BE22 (the Flemish Region, Belgium, RCI: 0.46), FRH0 (Île-de-France, France, RCI: 0.11), ITC3 (Lombardy, Italy, RCI: −0.30), PL43 (Masovia, Poland, RCI: −0.69), and EL53 (Western Macedonia, Greece, RCI: −1.44). By applying the AHP methodology, the prioritization sequence of the aforementioned regions was validated, confirming the robustness of the ranking derived from the Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI). The AHP analysis reinforced the importance of addressing region-specific factors and highlighted the alignment of expert judgments with the established RCI-based rankings. This study highlights the critical role of region-specific factors in driving competitiveness and sustainable development, with the AHP methodology effectively validating the prioritization of regions and providing a robust framework for aligning expert insights with established rankings.