Inclusive growth, which encompasses different aspects of life, is a growth pattern that allows all people to participate in and contribute to growth process. In this paper, a novel hesitant fuzzy multiple attribute decision making (HFMADM) approach based on the nondimensionalization of decision making attributes is presented and then applied to the evaluation of inclusive growth in China. Firstly, a novel generalized hesitant fuzzy distance measure is proposed to calculate the difference and deviation between two hesitant fuzzy elements (hfes) without adding any values into the shorter hesitant fuzzy element. Secondly, the coefficient of variation and efficacy coefficient method are extended to accommodate hesitant fuzzy environment and then used to cope with HFMADM. In the analysis process, non-dimensional treatment for hesitant fuzzy decision data is produced. Lastly, the method proposed in this paper is applied to an example of inclusive growth evaluation problem under hesitant fuzzy environment and the case study illustrates the practicality of the proposed method. Beyond that, a comparative analysis with some other approaches is also conducted to demonstrate the superiority and feasibility of the proposed method.

This paper addresses the failure of activation programmes to achieve a rapid return to work when they are directed towards the long-term ill. The empirical basis for the paper is an analysis of the outcomes for 691 individuals in Sweden chosen for a reactivation policy programme to shorten their sick leave and increase their chances of returning to work. The outcome at the end of their long-term illness when compared to those not selected for an activation programme shows that the programmes failed both to reduce the length of sick leave or to improve the chance of a return to work. The paper discusses who is chosen for such a programme and the process involved. It also discusses why these programmes are continued although they do not succeed. Two possible reasons are suggested. In an atmosphere of mistrust promoted by the government against those claiming social benefits, one reason is that the programmes help bureaucratic decision-making to legitimise moving large numbers of individuals off the sick rolls and into early disability pensions. This is accomplished by employing activation programmes as ‘sorting mechanisms’. The other reason is that the state provides a degree of flexibility for the employer by producing and funding a secondary labour market for individuals with reduced capacity for work while allowing the employer a chance to escape the constraints of an employment contract. The paper concludes by arguing that re-activation programmes should be viewed as part of a larger transformation of the labour market and as a possible governmental policy mistake in the reformation of the social rights of the dis-able bodied.

As one of the important components of global land ecosystem, rangeland ecosystem has important value of ecosystem services. With the degeneration of rangeland in recent years, sustainability within rangeland ecosystem has become an increasingly important issue. The aim of this paper is to develop a novel dynamic decision-making approach based on hesitant fuzzy information to evaluate rangeland sustainability that considers ecological, social and economic aspects. Firstly, a modified satisfaction degree of alternative is presented, based on which a mathematical model for determining the stage weights is constructed. Secondly, the compromise ratio method (CRM), whose basic principle is that the optimal alternative should have the nearest distance from positive ideal solution and the longest distance from negative ideal solution simultaneously, is extended to accommodate hesitant fuzzy environment, and then adopted to tackle the dynamic decision-making with hesitant fuzzy information. Compared with the existing methods, the proposed method can eliminate the impact of attribute magnitude and dimension. Lastly, a numerical example on the evaluation of rangelands is provided to illustrate the practicality and superiority of the proposed method.

No abstract

No abstract