The role of the OWA operators as a unification tool for the representation of collective choice sets

Abstract

We consider various group decision making and voting procedures presented in the perspective of two kinds of aggregation of partial scores related to the individuals' (group's) testimonies with respect to alternatives and individuals. We show that the ordered weighthed averaging (OWA) operators can be viewed as a unique aggregation tool that - via the change of the order of aggregation, type of aggregation, etc. - can be used for a uniform and elegant formalization of basic group decision making, social choice and voting rules under fuzzy and nonfuzzy preference relations and fuzzy and nonfuzzy majority. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.