Assessment of digital economy development with the new multicriteria sorting method: DCMSort

Abstract

We present a novel multiple criteria sorting method based on the deck of cards method, named DCMSort, which assigns alternatives to pre-defined and ordered classes. In contrast to prior multiple criteria sorting methods, DCMSort produces criteria weights and utility functions based on personalized preferences using comparisons between two consecutive levels. Meanwhile, it needs fewer comparisons with the aid of the ordinal relation. To improve the flexibility of preference representation, we adopt reference levels and representative profiles as auxiliary profiles to characterize the utility function finely. Additionally, this method permits both definite and uncertain number of blank cards between consecutive positions. To verify the practicality of DCMSort, we provide an illustrative case study in the domain of digital economy development assessment in China. Sensitivity and comparative analyses are conducted to demonstrate the stability and superiority of our proposal.