Dual-scale assessment of managerial-institutional flood resilience potential: A virtual benchmarking-enhanced MADM framework for socio-hydrological systems

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
Amin Salehpour Jam 1
Noredin Rostami 2
Shokoufeh Abdali 2
Jamal Mosaffaie 1
1 Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
2 Department of Rangeland and Watershed Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Ilam University, Ilam, Islamic Republic of Iran.
Abstract
This study proposes an innovative framework for mapping absolute flood resilience potential in socio-hydrological units of the Sang Sefid region, Iran, by integrating theoretical benchmark alternatives into a TOPSIS-based assessment. Using a dual-scale approach (relative and absolute), managerial-institutional flood resilience was assessed through 16 expert-validated indicators across five dimensions: institutional collaboration, education and awareness, performance and public satisfaction, prevention and reconstruction, and participatory planning. Data were collected via Likert-scale surveys from 663 household heads, with questionnaire reliability confirmed (α = 0.768). Resilience was quantified using TOPSIS with hypothetical minimum/maximum scenarios as benchmarks. Results revealed significant spatial variability: relative resilience ranged from very low (S-int3, R=0.00) to very high (S9, R=0.99), while absolute resilience ranged from very low (S-int3, R=0.05) to high (S9, R=0.75) with no "very high" category, highlighting critical distinctions between the two approaches. Model validation through Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis (AUC = 0.917) and Cronbach's alpha (α = 0.857) confirmed outstanding performance and reliability. This framework enables systematic intra- and inter-regional resilience comparisons and temporal monitoring, serving as a replicable tool for multi-scale mapping to enhance adaptive governance and sustainable flood management in socio-hydrological systems.
Keywords
Absolute resilience assessment
Expert-based validation
Managerial-institutional resilience
Socio-hydrological systems
Theoretical benchmark alternatives
TOPSIS-based assessment
Subjects
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Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 15 August 2026