Combined Reformulation of Bilevel Programming Problems

In J. J. Ye and D. L. Zhu proposed a new reformulation of a bilevel programming problem which compounds the value function and KKT approaches. In partial calmness condition was also adapted to this new reformulation and optimality conditions using partial calmness were introduced. In this paper we investigate above all local equivalence of the combined reformulation and the initial problem and how constraint qualifications and optimality conditions could be defined for this reformulation without using partial calmness. Since the optimal value function is in general nondifferentiable and KKT constraints have MPEC-structure, the combined reformulation is a nonsmooth MPEC. This special structure allows us to adapt some constraint qualifications and necessary optimality conditions from MPEC theory using disjunctive form of the combined reformulation. An example shows, that some of the proposed constraint qualifications can be fulfilled

On M-stationarity conditions in MPECs and the associated qualification conditions

Depending on whether a mathematical program with equilibrium constraints (MPEC) is considered in its original or its enhanced (via KKT conditions) form, the assumed constraint qualifications (CQs) as well as the derived necessary optimality conditions may differ significantly. In this paper, we study this issue when imposing one of the weakest possible CQs, namely the calmness of the perturbation mapping associated with the respective generalized equations in both forms of the MPEC. It is well known that the calmness property allows one to derive so-called M-stationarity conditions. The strength of assumptions and conclusions in the two forms of the MPEC is strongly related with the CQs on the 'lower level' imposed on the set whose normal cone appears in the generalized equation. For instance, under just the Mangasarian-Fromovitz CQ (a minimum assumption required for this set), the calmness properties of the original and the enhanced perturbation mapping are drastically different. They become identical in the case of a polyhedral set or when adding the Full Rank CQ. On the other hand, the resulting optimality conditions are affected too. If the considered set even satisfies the Linear Independence CQ, both the calmness assumption and the derived optimality conditions are fully equivalent for the original and the enhanced form of the MPEC. A compilation of practically relevant consequences of our analysis in the derivation of necessary optimality conditions is provided in the main Theorem 4.3. The obtained results are finally applied to MPECs with structured equilibria

On implicit variables in optimization theory

Implicit variables of a mathematical program are variables which do not need to be optimized but are used to model feasibility conditions. They frequently appear in several different problem classes of optimization theory comprising bilevel programming, evaluated multiobjective optimization, or nonlinear optimization problems with slack variables. In order to deal with implicit variables, they are often interpreted as explicit ones. Here, we first point out that this is a light-headed approach which induces artificial locally optimal solutions. Afterwards, we derive various Mordukhovich-stationarity-type necessary optimality conditions which correspond to treating the implicit variables as explicit ones on the one hand, or using them only implicitly to model the constraints on the other. A detailed comparison of the obtained stationarity conditions as well as the associated underlying constraint qualifications will be provided. Overall, we proceed in a fairly general setting relying on modern tools of variational analysis. Finally, we apply our findings to different well-known problem classes of mathematical optimization in order to visualize the obtained theory.Comment: 33 page