Assessment of regional development needs according to criteria based on the Sustainable Development Goals in the Meta Region (Colombia)

Abstract

When a regional government considers investing funds for the sustainable development of its region, it must consider the real needs of the population and the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The identification of needs should be carried out with the support of local stakeholders representing various social groups. This paper seeks to answer the question of how to guide public investment policies at the local level, such as improving education, health, transportation and others, to better meet the SDGs. To answer this question, a multi-criteria decision-making process is followed, whereby, once the needs are classified by investment areas, they are prioritized based on criteria derived from the SDGs. The problem is complex because of the difficulty of the local stakeholder engagement process and also because of the interrelationships and influences that arise between all the elements of the decision problem: criteria and alternatives. To address this complexity, the Analytical Network Process method combined with DEMATEL will be followed. This process is applied to the case study of the distribution of funds allocated by the Government of Colombia to the Meta Region (Colombia) with the participation of 48 stakeholders to identify needs and the support of six experts in sustainability and project management for their prioritization.