We propose a new approach to the issue of existence and uniqueness of solutions to the Bellman equation, exploiting an emerging class of methods, called monotone map methods, pioneered in the work of Krasnosel'skii-Zabreiko (1984). The approach is technically simple and intuitive. It is derived...

In this paper, we give Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for a Solution of the Belman Equation to be the Value Function. This result is a general principle. It requires no structure beyond the common framework of discrete-time stationary optimization problems with time-additive returns. In...