Springer Handbook of Ratings: Approaches to Ratings in the Economy, Sports, and Society

This handbook presents a systematic overview of approaches to, diversity, and problems involved in interdisciplinary rating methodologies. Historically, the purpose of ratings is to achieve information transparency regarding a given body’s activities, whether in the field of finance, banking, or sports for example. This book focuses on commonly used rating methods in three important fields: finance, sports, and the social sector. In the world of finance, investment decisions are largely shaped by how positively or negatively economies or financial instruments are rated. Ratings have thus become a basis of trust for investors. Similarly, sports evaluation and funding are largely based on core ratings. From local communities to groups of nations, public investment and funding are also dependent on how these bodies are continuously rated against expected performance targets.  As such, ratings need to reflect the consensus of all stakeholders on selected aspects of the work and how to evaluate their success. The public should also have the opportunity to participate in this process. The authors examine current rating approaches from a variety of proposals that are closest to the public consensus, analyzing the rating models and summarizing the methods of their construction. This handbook offers a valuable reference guide for managers, analysts, economists, business informatics specialists, and researchers alike. Review “The monograph presents a review of various rating methodologies in attempt of their unification in a combined framework of common criteria and approaches used in various fields of human interests. … Most of the chapters’ present additional material on Russian systems of ratings. The monograph can be interesting to researchers and graduate students in various applied sciences requiring systematical ordering and prioritization of multiple items by numerous characteristics.” (Stan Lipovetsky, Technometrics, Vol. 59 (3), July, 2017) From the Back Cover This handbook presents a systematic overview of approaches to, diversity, and problems involved in interdisciplinary rating methodologies. Historically, the purpose of ratings is to achieve information transparency regarding a given body’s activities, whether in the field of finance, banking, or sports for example. This book focuses on commonly used rating methods in three important fields: finance, sports, and the social sector. In the world of finance, investment decisions are largely shaped by how positively or negatively economies or financial instruments are rated. Ratings have thus become a basis of trust for investors. Similarly, sports evaluation and funding are largely based on core ratings. From local communities to groups of nations, public investment and funding are also dependent on how these bodies are continuously rated against expected performance targets.  As such, ratings need to reflect the consensus of all stakeholders on selected aspects of the work and how to evaluate their success. The public should also have the opportunity to participate in this process. The authors examine current rating approaches from a variety of proposals that are closest to the public consensus, analyzing the rating models and summarizing the methods of their construction. This handbook offers a valuable reference guide for managers, analysts, economists, business informatics specialists, and researchers alike. About the Author Prof. Alexander Karminsky is a trained mathematician and Doctor of Economics. After 15 years in the banking sector, Dr. Karminsky is currently employed as Professor of Department of Finance at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow (HSE) and was Senior Research Fellow at the HSE International Laboratory of Quantitative Finance.  Prof. Karminsky is on the editorial board of several scientific journals in Russia and abroad. He is the author of 25+ books and 2