A new consensus ranking approach for correlated ordinal information based on Mahalanobis distance

Accordingly, we propose and characterize a new procedure to codify ordinal information. We also define a new measurement of the degree of dissensus among individual preferences based on the Mahalanobis distance. It is especially designed for the case of possibly correlated alternatives. Finally, we investigate a procedure to obtain a social consensus solution that also includes the possibility of alternatives that are correlated. In addition, we examine the main traits of the dissensus measurement as well as the social solution proposed. The operational character and intuitive interpretation of our approaches are illustrated by an explanatory example.