Research Article

INNOVATION PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF SELECTED BALKAN COUNTRIES BASED ON THE GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX USING AN ENTROPY-BASED TOPSIS FRAMEWORK

Volume: 27 Number: 1 September 20, 2026
TR EN

INNOVATION PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF SELECTED BALKAN COUNTRIES BASED ON THE GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX USING AN ENTROPY-BASED TOPSIS FRAMEWORK

Abstract

Innovation constitutes a fundamental driver of sustainable economic growth, productivity improvement, and structural convergence with the European Union, particularly for Balkan and Western Balkan economies. However, the considerable heterogeneity observed in innovation performance across the region necessitates a multidimensional and comparative evaluation framework. Accordingly, this study examines the innovation performance of ten Balkan countries by employing an Entropy-based TOPSIS multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach based on seven criteria derived from the Global Innovation Index (GII). The Entropy results reveal substantial variation in the informational contribution of the criteria, indicating that Creative Outputs and Knowledge and Technology Outputs represent the most discriminative dimensions of innovation performance. The Entropy-based TOPSIS rankings show that Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia and Romania form the high-performance group, whereas Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina remain below the regional average. Sensitivity analysis confirms the robustness of the rankings against structural changes in the criteria set, while comparative and correlation analyses demonstrate strong consistency between the Entropy-based TOPSIS outcomes and those obtained from other widely used MCDM methods. The findings highlight the importance of strengthening knowledge-based, technological, and creative outputs to enhance regional competitiveness and long-term economic development.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Regional Development and Globalisation in International Economics

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

September 20, 2026

Submission Date

April 2, 2026

Acceptance Date

July 22, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 27 Number: 1

APA
Altıntaş, F. F. (2026). INNOVATION PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF SELECTED BALKAN COUNTRIES BASED ON THE GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX USING AN ENTROPY-BASED TOPSIS FRAMEWORK. Doğuş Üniversitesi Dergisi, 27(1), 1431-1455. https://doi.org/10.31671/doujournal.1922079
AMA
1.Altıntaş FF. INNOVATION PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF SELECTED BALKAN COUNTRIES BASED ON THE GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX USING AN ENTROPY-BASED TOPSIS FRAMEWORK. Doğuş Üniversitesi Dergisi. 2026;27(1):1431-1455. doi:10.31671/doujournal.1922079
Chicago
Altıntaş, Furkan Fahri. 2026. “INNOVATION PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF SELECTED BALKAN COUNTRIES BASED ON THE GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX USING AN ENTROPY-BASED TOPSIS FRAMEWORK”. Doğuş Üniversitesi Dergisi 27 (1): 1431-55. https://doi.org/10.31671/doujournal.1922079.
EndNote
Altıntaş FF (September 1, 2026) INNOVATION PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF SELECTED BALKAN COUNTRIES BASED ON THE GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX USING AN ENTROPY-BASED TOPSIS FRAMEWORK. Doğuş Üniversitesi Dergisi 27 1 1431–1455.
IEEE
[1]F. F. Altıntaş, “INNOVATION PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF SELECTED BALKAN COUNTRIES BASED ON THE GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX USING AN ENTROPY-BASED TOPSIS FRAMEWORK”, Doğuş Üniversitesi Dergisi, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 1431–1455, Sept. 2026, doi: 10.31671/doujournal.1922079.
ISNAD
Altıntaş, Furkan Fahri. “INNOVATION PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF SELECTED BALKAN COUNTRIES BASED ON THE GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX USING AN ENTROPY-BASED TOPSIS FRAMEWORK”. Doğuş Üniversitesi Dergisi 27/1 (September 1, 2026): 1431-1455. https://doi.org/10.31671/doujournal.1922079.
JAMA
1.Altıntaş FF. INNOVATION PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF SELECTED BALKAN COUNTRIES BASED ON THE GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX USING AN ENTROPY-BASED TOPSIS FRAMEWORK. Doğuş Üniversitesi Dergisi. 2026;27:1431–1455.
MLA
Altıntaş, Furkan Fahri. “INNOVATION PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF SELECTED BALKAN COUNTRIES BASED ON THE GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX USING AN ENTROPY-BASED TOPSIS FRAMEWORK”. Doğuş Üniversitesi Dergisi, vol. 27, no. 1, Sept. 2026, pp. 1431-55, doi:10.31671/doujournal.1922079.
Vancouver
1.Furkan Fahri Altıntaş. INNOVATION PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF SELECTED BALKAN COUNTRIES BASED ON THE GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX USING AN ENTROPY-BASED TOPSIS FRAMEWORK. Doğuş Üniversitesi Dergisi. 2026 Sep. 1;27(1):1431-55. doi:10.31671/doujournal.1922079