Global Optimization Method for Solving Mathematical Programs with Linear Complementarity Constraints

We propose a method for finding a global optimal solution of programs with linear complementarity constraints. This problem arises for instance in bilevel programming. The main idea of the method is to generate a sequence of points either ending at a global optimal solution within a finite number of iterations or converging to a global optimal solution. The construction of such sequence is based on branch-and-bound techniques, which have been used successfully in global optimization. Results on a numerical test of the algorithm are reported.