Stationary conditions for mathematical programs with vanishing constraints using weak constraint qualifications

We consider a class of optimization problems that is called a mathematical program with vanishing constraints (MPVC for short). This class has some similarities to mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints (MPECs for short), and typically violates standard constraint qualifications, hence the well-known Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions do not provide necessary optimality criteria. In order to obtain reasonable first order conditions under very weak assumptions, we introduce several MPVC-tailored constraint qualifications, discuss their relation, and prove an optimality condition which may be viewed as the counterpart of what is called M-stationarity in the MPEC-field.     

Generalized convexity in non-regular programming problems with inequality-type constraints

Convexity plays a very important role in optimization for establishing optimality conditions. Different works have shown that the convexity property can be replaced by a weaker notion, the invexity. In particular, for problems with inequality-type constraints, Martin defined a weaker notion of invexity, the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker-invexity (hereafter KKT-invexity), that is both necessary and sufficient to obtain Karush-Kuhn-Tucker-type optimality conditions. It is well known that for this result to hold the problem has to verify a constraint qualification, i.e., it must be regular or non-degenerate. In non-regular problems, the classical optimality conditions are totally inapplicable. Meaningful results were obtained for problems with inequality-type constraints by Izmailov. They are based on the 2-regularity condition of the constraints at a feasible point. In this work, we generalize Martin's result to non-regular problems by defining an analogous concept, the 2-KKT-invexity, and using the characterization of the tangent cone in the 2-regular case and the necessary optimality condition given by Izmailov.     

Optimality Conditions for Disjunctive Programs with Application to Mathematical Programs with Equilibrium Constraints

We consider optimization problems with a disjunctive structure of the feasible set. Using Guignard-type constraint qualifications for these optimization problems and exploiting some results for the limiting normal cone by Mordukhovich, we derive different optimality conditions. Furthermore, we specialize these results to mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints. In particular, we show that a new constraint qualification, weaker than any other constraint qualification used in the literature, is enough in order to show that a local minimum results in a so-called M-stationary point. Additional assumptions are also discussed which guarantee that such an M-stationary point is in fact a strongly stationary point.      

Optimization with multivariate stochastic dominance constraints

We consider stochastic optimization problems where risk-aversion is expressed by a stochastic ordering constraint. The constraint requires that a random vector depending on our decisions stochastically dominates a given benchmark random vector. We identify a suitable multivariate stochastic order and describe its generator in terms of von Neumann–Morgenstern utility functions. We develop necessary and sufficient conditions of optimality and duality relations for optimization problems with this constraint. Assuming convexity we show that the Lagrange multipliers corresponding to dominance constraints are elements of the generator of this order, thus refining and generalizing earlier results for optimization under univariate stochastic dominance constraints. Furthermore, we obtain necessary conditions of optimality for non-convex problems under additional smoothness assumptions.     

On First Order Optimality Conditions for Vector Optimization

We develop first order optimality conditions for constrained vector optimization. The partial orders for the objective and the constraints are induced by closed and convex cones with nonempty interior. After presenting some well known existence results for these problems, based on a scalarization approach, we establish necessity of the optimality conditions under a Slater-like constraint qualification, and then sufficiency for the K-convex case. We present two alternative sets of optimality conditions, with the same properties in connection with necessity and sufficiency, but which are different with respect to the dimension of the spaces to which the dual multipliers belong. We introduce a duality scheme, with a point-to-set dual objective, for which strong duality holds. Some examples and open problems for future research are also presented,     

Second-Order Optimality Conditions for Mathematical Programs with Equilibrium Constraints

We study second-order optimality conditions for mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints (MPEC). Firstly, we improve some second-order optimality conditions for standard nonlinear programming problems using some newly discovered constraint qualifications in the literature, and apply them to MPEC. Then, we introduce some MPEC variants of these new constraint qualifications, which are all weaker than the MPEC linear independence constraint qualification, and derive several second-order optimality conditions for MPEC under the new MPEC constraint qualifications. Finally, we discuss the isolatedness of local minimizers for MPEC under very weak conditions.     

Enhanced Karush–Kuhn–Tucker Conditions for Mathematical Programs with Equilibrium Constraints

In this paper, we study necessary optimality conditions for nonsmooth mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints. We first show that, unlike the smooth case, the mathematical program with equilibrium constraints linear independent constraint qualification is not a constraint qualification for the strong stationary condition when the objective function is nonsmooth. We then focus on the study of the enhanced version of the Mordukhovich stationary condition, which is a weaker optimality condition than the strong stationary condition. We introduce the quasi-normality and several other new constraint qualifications and show that the enhanced Mordukhovich stationary condition holds under them. Finally, we prove that quasi-normality with regularity implies the existence of a local error bound.     

Nonsmooth multiobjective programming: strong Kuhn–Tucker conditions

We consider a multiobjective optimization problem with a feasible set defined by inequality and equality constraints and a set constraint, where the objective and constraint functions are locally Lipschitz. Several constraint qualifications are given in such a way that they generalize the classical ones, when the functions are differentiable. The relationships between them are analyzed. Then, we establish strong Kuhn–Tucker necessary optimality conditions in terms of the Clarke subdifferentials such that the multipliers of the objective function are all positive. Furthermore, sufficient optimality conditions under generalized convexity assumptions are derived. Moreover, the concept of efficiency is used to formulate duality for nonsmooth multiobjective problems. Wolf and Mond–Weir type dual problems are formulated. We also establish the weak and strong duality theorems.     

Linearized M-stationarity Conditions for General Optimization Problems

This paper investigates new first-order optimality conditions for general optimization problems. These optimality conditions are stronger than the commonly used M-stationarity conditions and are in particular useful when the latter cannot be applied because the underlying limiting normal cone cannot be computed effectively. We apply our optimality conditions to a MPEC to demonstrate their practicability.

     

When the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker Theorem Fails: Constraint Qualifications and Higher-Order Optimality Conditions for Degenerate Optimization Problems

In this paper, we present higher-order analysis of necessary and sufficient optimality conditions for problems with inequality constraints. The paper addresses the case when the constraints are not assumed to be regular at a solution of the optimization problems. In the first two theorems derived in the paper, we show how Karush–Kuhn–Tucker necessary conditions reduce to a specific form containing the objective function only. Then we present optimality conditions of the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker type in Banach spaces under new regularity assumptions. After that, we analyze problems for which the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker form of optimality conditions does not hold and propose necessary and sufficient conditions for those problems. To formulate the optimality conditions, we introduce constraint qualifications for new classes of nonregular nonlinear optimization. The approach of p-regularity used in the paper can be applied to various degenerate nonlinear optimization problems due to its flexibility and generality.     

Necessary optimality conditions for constrained optimization problems under relaxed constraint qualifications

We derive first- and second-order necessary optimality conditions for set-constrained optimization problems under the constraint qualification-type conditions significantly weaker than Robinson’s constraint qualification. Our development relies on the so-called 2-regularity concept, and unifies and extends the previous studies based on this concept. Specifically, in our setting constraints are given by an inclusion, with an arbitrary closed convex set on the right-hand side. Thus, for the second-order analysis, some curvature characterizations of this set near the reference point must be taken into account.      

Robust stochastic dominance and its application to risk-averse optimization

We introduce a new preference relation in the space of random variables, which we call robust stochastic dominance. We consider stochastic optimization problems where risk-aversion is expressed by a robust stochastic dominance constraint. These are composite semi-infinite optimization problems with constraints on compositions of measures of risk and utility functions. We develop necessary and sufficient conditions of optimality for such optimization problems in the convex case. In the nonconvex case, we derive necessary conditions of optimality under additional smoothness assumptions of some mappings involved in the problem.     

Investigation of regularity conditions in optimal control problems with geometric mixed constraints

We investigate regularity conditions in optimal control problems with mixed constraints of a general geometric type, in which a closed non-convex constraint set appears. A closely related question to this issue concerns the derivation of necessary optimality conditions under some regularity conditions on the constraints. By imposing strong and weak regularity condition on the constraints, we provide necessary optimality conditions in the form of Pontryagin maximum principle for the control problem with mixed constraints. The optimality conditions obtained here turn out to be more general than earlier results even in the case when the constraint set is convex. The proofs of our main results are based on a series of technical lemmas which are gathered in the Appendix.     

Sensitivity of solutions to systems of optimality conditions under the violation of constraint qualifications

A survey is given of old and new results on the sensitivity of solutions to systems of optimality conditions with respect to parametric perturbations. Results of this kind play a key role in subtle convergence analysis of various constrained optimization algorithms. General systems of optimality conditions for problems with abstract constraints, Karush-Kuhn-Tucker systems for mathematical programs, and Lagrange systems for problems with equality constraints are examined. Special attention is given to the cases where the traditional constraint qualifications are violated.     

A new local and global optimization method for mixed integer quadratic programming problems

In this paper, a new local optimization method for mixed integer quadratic programming problems with box constraints is presented by using its necessary global optimality conditions. Then a new global optimization method by combining its sufficient global optimality conditions and an auxiliary function is proposed. Some numerical examples are also presented to show that the proposed optimization methods for mixed integer quadratic programming problems with box constraints are very efficient and stable.     

First and Second Order Necessary Conditions for Stochastic Optimal Control Problems

In this work we consider a stochastic optimal control problem with either convex control constraints or finitely many equality and inequality constraints over the final state. Using the variational approach, we are able to obtain first and second order expansions for the state and cost function, around a local minimum. This fact allows us to prove general first order necessary condition and, under a geometrical assumption over the constraint set, second order necessary conditions are also established. We end by giving second order optimality conditions for problems with constraints on expectations of the final state.     

Fenchel-Lagrange Duality Versus Geometric Duality in Convex Optimization

We present a new duality theory to treat convex optimization problems and we prove that the geometric duality used by Scott and Jefferson in different papers during the last quarter of century is a special case of it. Moreover, weaker sufficient conditions to achieve strong duality are considered and optimality conditions are derived. Next, we apply our approach to some problems considered by Scott and Jefferson, determining their duals. We give weaker sufficient conditions to achieve strong duality and the corresponding optimality conditions. Finally, posynomial geometric programming is viewed also as a particular case of the duality approach that we present. Communicated by V. F. Demyanov The first author was supported in part by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz Stiftung 02-48/99. The second author was supported in part by Karl und Ruth Mayer Stiftung.     

A complete characterization of strong duality in nonconvex optimization with a single constraint

We first establish sufficient conditions ensuring strong duality for cone constrained nonconvex optimization problems under a generalized Slater-type condition. Such conditions allow us to cover situations where recent results cannot be applied. Afterwards, we provide a new complete characterization of strong duality for a problem with a single constraint: showing, in particular, that strong duality still holds without the standard Slater condition. This yields Lagrange multipliers characterizations of global optimality in case of (not necessarily convex) quadratic homogeneous functions after applying a generalized joint-range convexity result. Furthermore, a result which reduces a constrained minimization problem into one with a single constraint under generalized convexity assumptions, is also presented.     

Necessary optimality conditions for minimax programming problems with mathematical constraints

In this paper, necessary optimality conditions in terms of upper and/or lower subdifferentials of both cost and constraint functions are derived for minimax optimization problems with inequality, equality and geometric constraints in the setting of non-differentiatiable and non-Lipschitz functions in Asplund spaces. Necessary optimality conditions in the fuzzy form are also presented. An application of the fuzzy necessary optimality condition is shown by considering minimax fractional programming problem.