Solution (source code)

= Solution

\b[Yes: the solution map is locally affine, hence has the <Aubin property>.] Keep the regularization parameter $\alpha>0$ fixed and define the <active hinge set>
$$
I=\{i:1-\hat a_i\hat x>0\}.
$$
Since none of the margins vanishes, the optimality condition at the reference data has no fractional weights:
$$
\hat x=\frac1{\alpha n}\sum_{i\in I}\hat a_i.
$$
For nearby $a$, define the candidate
$$
x_I(a)=\frac1{\alpha n}\sum_{i\in I}a_i.
$$
Each map $a\mapsto1-a_i x_I(a)$ is continuous and is nonzero at $\hat a$. Because there are finitely many samples, all their signs remain unchanged on a common neighborhood $U$ of $\hat a$. Therefore the same set $I$ is active at $x_I(a)$ for every $a\in U$. The <hinge-loss optimality weights> are still $1$ on $I$ and $0$ off $I$, and the defining equation for $x_I(a)$ proves the <subgradient optimality condition>. Strong convexity makes this candidate the unique global minimizer. Consequently the <solution map of a parametric optimization problem> satisfies
$$
\boxed{S(a)=\{x(a)\},\qquad x(a)=\frac1{\alpha n}\sum_{i\in I}a_i\quad(a\in U)}.
$$
This argument establishes stability of the active pattern without presupposing continuity of the unknown optimizer; continuity is used only for an explicit candidate and then optimality is checked.

For $a,b\in U$, the <Cauchy-Schwarz inequality> gives
$$
\boxed{|x(a)-x(b)|\leq\frac{\sqrt{|I|}}{\alpha n}\|a-b\|_2}.
$$
This is the <Aubin property> with $\kappa=\sqrt{|I|}/(\alpha n)$. In fact this constant is the exact local <Lipschitz continuity> modulus of the affine branch, since its derivative is
$$
Dx(\hat a)[h]=\frac1{\alpha n}\sum_{i\in I}h_i.
$$
The active-set dependence of this derivative is the <active-set sensitivity of hinge-loss minimization>. At a vanishing margin the affine-branch argument no longer applies, although failure of this particular argument does not by itself prove failure of the <Aubin property>.

\Image[/past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2016/iii/paper-325-hinge-sensitivity.png]
{title=For two scalar samples with alpha equal to one and data (s,1), the optimal coefficient follows two locally affine branches separated by a branch pinned to an exact hinge margin}

For the illustration, take $n=2$, $\alpha=1$, and $a=(s,1)$ with $s>0$. The <hinge-loss optimality weights> give
$$
x(s)=
\begin{cases}
(s+1)/2,&0<s<1,\\
1/s,&1\leq s\leq2,\\
1/2,&s>2.
\end{cases}
$$
On the middle branch the first margin is exactly zero, so that branch lies outside the strict-margin hypothesis. The example makes clear why the local affine conclusion is tied to that hypothesis, and also shows that a zero margin need not destroy local Lipschitz stability.