On the index of solvability for variational inequalities in Banach spaces (Q2479880)

The authors apply topological degree theory to study variational inequalities involving multivalued operators. They consider multimaps of class S+ whose properties are similar to those of single valued (S)+ maps (see [\textit{F.\,E.\thinspace Browder}, Proc.\ Symp.\ Pure Math.\ 18, No.\,2 (1976; Zbl 0327.47022)], p.\,279). The (S)+ property was introduced by Browder and, independently, in [\textit{I.\,V.\thinspace Skrypnik}, Annot.\ Dokl., Semin.\ Inst.\ Prikl.\ Mat., Tbilis.\ Univ.\ 7, 51--52 (1973; Zbl 0296.35032)] in connection with the problem of solvability of boundary value problems for nonlinear elliptic equations. The authors introduce the index of solvability, a topological characteristic whose difference from zero provides the existence of a solution for a variational inequality, for \(S^+\)-type and pseudomonotone multimaps in the sense of [\textit{H.\,Brezis}, Ann.\ Inst.\ Fourier, 115--175 (1968; Zbl 0169.18602)] on reflexive separable Banach spaces. Using this index, the authors obtain existence results, and find geometrical conditions that guarantee the existence of solutions for the variational problem. In particular, they present the generalization of the Hartman--Stampacchia theorem. They also demonstrate the invariance of the index with respect to homotopy deformations. For one particular case, they develop the method of penalty multioperator to evaluate the solvability index. Finally, they present some applications to a minimization problem and to a problem of economical dynamics. They give sufficient conditions for the existence of a minimum of a convex functional on a closed convex set in terms of the solvability index. Then they consider the problem of price regularization in an economic system where the prices are governed by a differential inclusion.