We consider semidefinite programs, where all the matrices defining the problem commute. We show that in this case the semidefinite program can be solved through an ordinary linear program. As an application, we consider the max-cut problem, where the underlying graph arises from an association...

Let a society's unhappiness be measured by the aggregate of the levels of relative deprivation of its members. When two societies of equal size, F and M, merge, unhappiness in the merged society is shown to be higher than the sum of the levels of unhappiness in the constituent societies when...