In order to group the observations of a data set into a given number of clusters, an 'optimal' subset out of a greater number of explanatory variables is to be selected. The problem is approached by maximizing a quality measure under certain restrictions that are supposed to keep the subset most...

Using the statistical technique of fuzzy clustering, regimes of inflation and unemployment are explored for the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany between 1871 and 2009. We identify for each country three distinct regimes in inflation/unemployment space. There is considerable...

Neural networks (NN) and fuzzy logic systems (FLS) are used successfully for financial forecasting, credit rating and portfolio management. In search for more sophisticated modeling techniques a mixture of NN and FLS has proved to be worth consideration. We propose the novel constructive...

The transition to market economy has represented both for Romania and other Central and Eastern European countries an emphasis on economic and social inequalities. The authors consider it is necessary to identify a path pass from chaotic inequalities to a state of economic and social cohesion...

This study examines the enduring spatial and racial dimensions of poverty and deprivation in South Africa to assess the progress made by the post-apartheid society and state. A multi-dimensional approach is required to assess progress because it can reflect the reduction in deprivation...

In operations and service management generating revenues is as important as reducing costs. Although logistics customer service is an important measure for executives, little research has been conducted to quantify the extent to which improvements of service levels contribute to a company's...

Education is increasingly seen as a substitute for social policy, but opportunities for skill development vary by social background and educational institutions are not neutral in this respect. While previous research has extensively examined how schooling affects skills distribution, the role...

Although poverty is widely recognised as a multidimensional phenomenon, we still believe that monetary aspect has a fundamental role and therefore deserves a special treatment. For this reason we propose an individual unidimensional measure according to a fuzzy approach that, unlike conventional...

Since the middle of the 1980s many European countries have reduced the strictness of their employment protection mainly by relaxing it for temporary jobs. These countries are Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. The article explores the...

The Arrow index of a fuzzy choice function C is a measure of the degree to which C satisfies the Fuzzy Arrow Axiom, a fuzzy version of the classical Arrow Axiom. The main result of this paper shows that A(C) characterizes the degree to which C is full rational. We also obtain a method for...