Use of granulands for analysis of social class

Abstract

In this paper, an analytical tool enabling the analysis of social stratification is proposed. The classical scheme for scaling consisting of two stages, conceptualisation and operationalization, is modified by the use of the concept of granulation introduced by L. Zadeh. The essential step in the modified scheme for the quantification of vague concepts concerning social class is realized using linguistic variables. The essential part of the methodology presented is illustrated by a simple hypothetical example. However, the methodology is suitable for any classification problem when classes are defined verbally.granuland, social stratification, fuzzy sets, linguistic variables, social standing, social class, fuzzy classification