Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
973459 Mathematical Social Sciences 2006 10 Pages PDF
Abstract
We provide the first necessary and sufficient conditions in the literature for the existence of maximal elements in a non-binary choice framework. As an application, the characterization of the existence of maximal elements for acyclic binary relations obtained in Rodríguez-Palmero and García-Lapresta, 2002, Mathematical Social Sciences 43, 55-60 [Rodríguez-Palmero, C., García-Lapresta, J.L., 2002. Maximal elements for irreflexive binary relations on compact sets. Mathematical Social Sciences 43, 55-60], is deduced as a Corollary. Further characterizations in different settings given by Tian and Zhou, 1995, Journal of Mathematical Economics 24, 281-303 [Tian, G., Zhou, J., 1995. Transfer continuities, generalizations of the Weierstrass and maximum theorems: a full characterization. Journal of Mathematical Economics 24, 281-303], follow as well. Analogous characterization problems in the k-acyclic binary cases are solved too.
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Physical Sciences and Engineering Mathematics Applied Mathematics
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