Optimal Control Problems Arising In Mathematical Economics

This book is devoted to the study of two large classes of discrete-time optimal control problems arising in mathematical economics. Nonautonomous optimal control problems of the first class are determined by a sequence of objective functions and sequence of constraint maps. They correspond to a general model of economic growth. We are interested in turnpike properties of approximate solutions and in the stability of the turnpike phenomenon under small perturbations of objective functions and constraint maps. The second class of autonomous optimal control problems corresponds to another general class of models of economic dynamics which includes the Robinson–Solow–Srinivasan model as a particular case. In Chap. 1 we discuss turnpike properties for a large class of discrete-time optimal control problems studied in the literature and for the Robinson–Solow–Srinivasan model. In Chap. 2 we introduce the first class of optimal control problems and study its turnpike property. This class of problems is also discussed in Chaps. 3–6. In Chap. 3 we study the stability of the turnpike phenomenon under small perturbations of the objective functions. Analogous results for problems with discounting are considered in Chap. 4. In Chap. 5 we study the stability of the turnpike phenomenon under small perturbations of the objective functions and the constraint maps. Analogous results for problems with discounting are established in Chap. 6. The results of Chaps. 5 and 6 are new. The second class of problems is studied in Chaps. 7–9. In Chap. 7 we study the turnpike properties. The stability of the turnpike phenomenon under small perturbations of the objective functions is established in Chap. 8. In Chap. 9 we establish the stability of the turnpike phenomenon under small perturbations of the objective functions and the constraint maps. The results of Chaps. 8 and 9 are new. In Chap. 10 we study optimal control problems related to a model of knowledge-based endogenous economic growth and show the existence of trajectories of unbounded economic growth and provide estimates for the growth rate.

This book is devoted to the study of classes of optimal control problems arising in economic growth theory, related to the Robinson–Solow–Srinivasan (RSS) model. The model was introduced in the 1960s by economists Joan Robinson, Robert Solow, and Thirukodikaval Nilakanta Srinivasan and was further studied by Robinson, Nobuo Okishio, and Joseph Stiglitz. Since then, the study of the RSS model has become an important element of economic dynamics. In this book, two large general classes of optimal control problems, both of them containing the RSS model as a particular case, are presented for study. For these two classes, a turnpike theory is developed and the existence of solutions to the corresponding infinite horizon optimal control problems is established. The book contains 9 chapters. Chapter 1 discusses turnpike properties for some optimal control problems that are known in the literature, including problems corresponding to the RSS model. The first class of optimal control problems is studied in Chaps. 2–6. In Chap. 2, infinite horizon optimal control problems with nonautonomous optimality criteria are considered. The utility functions, which determine the optimality criterion, are nonconcave. This class of models contains the RSS model as a particular case. The stability of the turnpike phenomenon of the one-dimensional nonautonomous concave RSS model is analyzed in Chap. 3. The following chapter takes up the study of a class of autonomous nonconcave optimal control problems, a subclass of problems considered in Chap. 2. The equivalence of the turnpike property and the asymptotic turnpike property, as well as the stability of the turnpike phenomenon, is established. Turnpike conditions and the stability of the turnpike phenomenon for nonautonomous problems are examined in Chap. 5, with Chap. 6 devoted to the study of the turnpike properties for the one-dimensional nonautonomous nonconcave RSS model. The utility functions, which determine the optimality criterion, are nonconcave. The class of RSS models is identified with a complete metric space of utility functions. Using the Baire category approach, the turnpike phenomenon is shown to hold for most of the models. Chapter 7 begins the study of the second large class of autonomous optimal control problems, and turnpike conditions are established. The stability of the turnpike phenomenon for this class of problems is investigated further in Chaps. 8 and 9.

This book is devoted to the study of optimal control problems arising in forest management, an important and fascinating topic in mathematical economics studied by many researchers over the years. The volume studies the forest management problem by analyzing a class of optimal control problems that contains it and showing the existence of optimal solutions over infinite horizon. It also studies the structure of approximate solutions on finite intervals and their turnpike properties, as well as the stability of the turnpike phenomenon and the structure of approximate solutions on finite intervals in the regions close to the end points. The book is intended for mathematicians interested in the optimization theory, optimal control and their applications to the economic theory.

This new 4th edition offers an introduction to optimal control theory and its diverse applications in management science and economics. It introduces students to the concept of the maximum principle in continuous (as well as discrete) time by combining dynamic programming and Kuhn-Tucker theory. While some mathematical background is needed, the emphasis of the book is not on mathematical rigor, but on modeling realistic situations encountered in business and economics. It applies optimal control theory to the functional areas of management including finance, production and marketing, as well as the economics of growth and of natural resources. In addition, it features material on stochastic Nash and Stackelberg differential games and an adverse selection model in the principal-agent framework. Exercises are included in each chapter, while the answers to selected exercises help deepen readers’ understanding of the material covered. Also included are appendices of supplementary material on the solution of differential equations, the calculus of variations and its ties to the maximum principle, and special topics including the Kalman filter, certainty equivalence, singular control, a global saddle point theorem, Sethi-Skiba points, and distributed parameter systems. Optimal control methods are used to determine optimal ways to control a dynamic system. The theoretical work in this field serves as the foundation for the book, in which the author applies it to business management problems developed from his own research and classroom instruction. The new edition has been refined and updated, making it a valuable resource for graduate courses on applied optimal control theory, but also for financial and industrial engineers, economists, and operational researchers interested in applying dynamic optimization in their fields.

Combining control theory and modeling, this textbook introduces and builds on methods for simulating and tackling concrete problems in a variety of applied sciences. Emphasizing "learning by doing," the authors focus on examples and applications to real-world problems. An elementary presentation of advanced concepts, proofs to introduce new ideas, and carefully presented MATLAB® programs help foster an understanding of the basics, but also lead the way to new, independent research. With minimal prerequisites and exercises in each chapter, this work serves as an excellent textbook and reference for graduate and advanced undergraduate students, researchers, and practitioners in mathematics, physics, engineering, computer science, as well as biology, biotechnology, economics, and finance.

Optimal control theory is a technique being used increasingly by academic economists to study problems involving optimal decisions in a multi-period framework. This textbook is designed to make the difficult subject of optimal control theory easily accessible to economists while at the same time maintaining rigour. Economic intuitions are emphasized, and examples and problem sets covering a wide range of applications in economics are provided to assist in the learning process. Theorems are clearly stated and their proofs are carefully explained. The development of the text is gradual and fully integrated, beginning with simple formulations and progressing to advanced topics such as control parameters, jumps in state variables, and bounded state space. For greater economy and elegance, optimal control theory is introduced directly, without recourse to the calculus of variations. The connection with the latter and with dynamic programming is explained in a separate chapter. A second purpose of the book is to draw the parallel between optimal control theory and static optimization. Chapter 1 provides an extensive treatment of constrained and unconstrained maximization, with emphasis on economic insight and applications. Starting from basic concepts, it derives and explains important results, including the envelope theorem and the method of comparative statics. This chapter may be used for a course in static optimization. The book is largely self-contained. No previous knowledge of differential equations is required.

"This paper is intended for the beginner. It is not a state-of-the-art paper for research workers in the field of control theory. Its purpose is to introduce the reader to some of the problems and results in control theory, to illustrate the application of these results, and to provide a guide for his further reading on this subject."--Preface.

This book is devoted to the study of a class of optimal control problems arising in mathematical economics, related to the Robinson–Solow–Srinivasan (RSS) model. It will be useful for researches interested in the turnpike theory, infinite horizon optimal control and their applications, and mathematical economists. The RSS is a well-known model of economic dynamics that was introduced in the 1960s and as many other models of economic dynamics, the RSS model is determined by an objective function (a utility function) and a set-valued mapping (a technology map). The set-valued map generates a dynamical system whose trajectories are under consideration and the objective function determines an optimality criterion. The goal is to find optimal trajectories of the dynamical system, using the optimality criterion. Chapter 1 discusses turnpike properties for some classes of discrete time optimal control problems. Chapter 2 present the description of the RSS model and discuss its basic properties. Infinite horizon optimal control problems, related to the RSS model are studied in Chapter 3. Turnpike properties for the RSS model are analyzed in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 studies infinite horizon optimal control problems related to the RSS model with a nonconcave utility function. Chapter 6 focuses on infinite horizon optimal control problems with nonautonomous optimality criterions. Chapter 7 contains turnpike results for a class of discrete-time optimal control problems. Chapter 8 discusses the RSS model and compares different optimality criterions. Chapter 9 is devoted to the study of the turnpike properties for the RSS model. In Chapter 10 the one-dimensional autonomous RSS model is considered and the continuous time RSS model is studied in Chapter 11.