Investigating the level of economic development in the cities of free trade zones using the TOPSIS multi-criteria decision-making model (case study: Aras Free Zone)

A free zone is a certain territory that is often located inside or adjacent to a port, where free trade is allowed to other parts of the world, and goods can be imported or exported from this zone without paying customs duties and taxes. . Free trade zones play a very important role in the economic development of countries in the world. Every new economic activity will have a great impact on the development of the host. Successful economic activity leads to the creation of added value and profitability, an incentive and incentive to attract more investors in the region, which means an increase Job opportunities are filled by local people. With the creation of new job opportunities, the welfare level in the region will be improved. Due to the importance of this issue, this research analyzes the economic development of Aras Free Trade Zone. The main purpose of the research is the development rate of the cities of Aras Free Zone and the ranking of each. The present research is in the category of applied research and in terms of method, it is in the framework of descriptive-analytical method. Data collection was done in two ways: library and field. The statistical population under study is the residents and employees of the municipal offices of the cities around the region. The reason for choosing this community is the impact of the Aras Free Zone on the lives of these residents and the awareness of the elites and employees. 50 of these people were randomly selected; Also, Cochran's formula was used to estimate the sample size. Cronbach's alpha method was used to measure the reliability of the research. TOPSIS technique and cluster analysis method have been used to investigate the research. The obtained results show that in terms of economic development indicators, Jolfa city ranks first, Hadishehr ranks second, central sector and Siehroud rank 3rd and 4th respectively.