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A robust ranking of maritime connectivity: revisiting UNCTAD’s liner shipping connectivity index (LSCI)

Author

Listed:
  • Vikas Kumar Mishra

    (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)

  • Bapi Dutta

    (National University of Singapore)

  • Mark Goh

    (National University of Singapore
    National University of Singapore)

  • José Rui Figueira

    (Universidade de Lisboa)

  • Salvatore Greco

    (University of Catania
    University of Portsmouth)

Abstract

Maritime connectivity is becoming increasingly important due to its inextricable relation to maritime trade, especially in the global economy. This paper presents a robust framework to rank countries on their maritime connectivity. Typically, in most index creation models, the arithmetic mean is used to build a composite index. In this paper, we propose a more reliable ranking approach, by applying the method of stochastic multicriteria acceptability analysis (SMAA). In this, we take into account the variability in the weights assigned to the connectivity factors, thus producing a probabilistic ranking for each country (i.e., the probability to achieve a certain rank). UNCTAD’s ranking, based simply on the arithmetic mean, where all the weights are equal, becomes a special case of our approach. Our results show that China achieves the highest level of connectivity, followed by Singapore.

Suggested Citation

  • Vikas Kumar Mishra & Bapi Dutta & Mark Goh & José Rui Figueira & Salvatore Greco, 2021. "A robust ranking of maritime connectivity: revisiting UNCTAD’s liner shipping connectivity index (LSCI)," Maritime Economics & Logistics, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), vol. 23(3), pages 424-443, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:marecl:v:23:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1057_s41278-021-00185-8
    DOI: 10.1057/s41278-021-00185-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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