Minimizing Negative Socio-Economic Impacts of Green Transformation in Industrial Sectors: Policy Prioritization through Behavioral Leadership Fuzzy Decision Modelling
Keywords:
Green transformation, Socio-economic impacts, Behavioral leadership fuzzy sets, Sustainability policiesAbstract
Green transformation in industrial sectors brings with it significant socio-economic problems such as high costs, employment losses, and regional inequalities. While numerous policy proposals exist in the literature to mitigate these problems, there is no consensus on which policies should be prioritized and are more effective. Existing studies emphasize the necessity of such policies but do not sufficiently focus on their comparative prioritization. This creates a significant gap in the literature and leads to uncertainties in policymakers' decision-making processes. The primary objective of this study is to identify the most appropriate policy alternatives to minimize the negative socio-economic impacts of green transformation in industrial sectors. To achieve this objective and address the identified gap in the literature, an original decision-making model is developed. The opinions obtained from 10 experts are evaluated using a novel fuzzy set approach called "behavioral leadership fuzzy sets." This method allows for separate analyses of expert opinions based on leadership types, minimizing the subjectivity problem often encountered in expert evaluations. Then, using the Euclidean weighting technique, different levels of importance are assigned to the experts' opinions based on their demographic characteristics, and the criterion weights are calculated using the method based on removal effects of criteria (MEREC). In the final stage, policy alternatives are ranked using the weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) method, and the most appropriate policy is determined. The study contributes to the literature by filling a significant research gap through the development of a holistic decision-making model for prioritizing green transformation policies. The advantages of the model include (1) reducing subjectivity through behavioral leadership fuzzy sets and (2) enabling a more realistic assessment of expert opinions through Euclidean weighting. The key findings indicate that the employment protection criterion is of paramount importance and that compliance with international standards also plays a significant role. Among the policy alternatives, a green skills training and employment program and a special transformation support program for SMEs stand out as the most suitable strategies.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Serhat Yüksel, Hasan Dinçer, Serkan Eti (Author)
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