Enhancing digital transformation and competitiveness: A neutrosophic analytical decision support system for benchmarking information and communication technology performance

Developments in information and communication technologies (ICT) have made ICT performance important in increasing the digital competitiveness of countries. This paper presents an alternative analytical approach to comparing the ICT performance of countries. The aim of this paper is to develop a model for ICT performance evaluation as a decision support system. In this context, a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model based on neutrosophic sets has been proposed as Schweizer-Sklar (SS) – type-2 neutrosophic number (T2NN) – ranking comparison (RANCOM) – logarithmic percentage change-driven objective weighting (LOPCOW) – weighted Euclidean distance-based approach (WEDBA). The model uses both subjective and objective weighting approaches. The model is applied to determine the ICT performance of twenty-six European countries in 2025. The results showed that the “Frontier Technology Readiness Index” is the most important indicator, with Finland, Luxembourg, and Estonia ranking in the top three for ICT performance. Four sensitivity analysis scenarios confirmed the robustness model, while comparative analysis confirmed its consistency. The paper offers three key contributions. Methodologically, it proposes a hybrid model integrating SS-T2NN and RANCOM; theoretically, it creates an ICT performance index for European countries; and practically, it provides policymakers with a decision support tool for assessing ICT performance.