A study of the strong Allee effect with fuzzy parameters for its application in economics

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to present a detailed quantitative and qualitative fuzzy approach to the Allee effect that permits dealing with uncertainty.

Design/methodology/approach

The Allee effect is related to those aspects of population dynamics that are connected with a decrease in individual fitness when the population size diminishes to very low levels. It allows to model the evolution of certain sectors or clusters which, due to their low population density, may have problems of survival. In uncertain environments, an estimate of the effect’s parameters can be performed in the form of fuzzy numbers, which means that this study is using the methodology of fuzzy arithmetic.

Findings

This study reveals that fuzziness changes the behavior of the set of solutions when the strong Allee effect is studied under uncertainty from the point of view of standard difference or generalization of the Hukuhara difference.

Originality/value

The value and originality of the work consists in offering a set of tools for studying the evolution of a group of firms subject to an Allee effect in uncertain environments.

Citation

Corominas Coll, D., Ferrer-Comalat, J.C., Linares-Mustarós, S. and Bertran, X. (2017), "A study of the strong Allee effect with fuzzy parameters for its application in economics", Kybernetes, Vol. 46 No. 1, pp. 191-206. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-06-2016-0154