Optimal growth models aim at explaining long run trends of growth under the strong assumption of full efficiency in the allocation of resources. As a result, the steady state time paths of the main economic aggregates reflect constant, exogenous or endogenous, growth. To introduce business...

The Ramsey model is an analytical structure aimed at explaining intertemporal optimal growth. As a consequence, business cycles cannot be generated resorting to this structure, unless one introduces some source of inefficiency. Our central argument is that firms forecast future demand using a...