In new new international trade theory, whether firms export or not are determined by their productivity. These models assume that firms enter a market to find their productivity levels revealed to them as in a lottery. In this paper we propose an alternative way to model whether firms export or...

We develop an econometric model for firm exit, using stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) as a starting point. According to SDP, the value of an operating firm can be written as the sum of (i) the net present value of continuing production if the firm is committed to a future exit date, and (ii)...

Part I -- Chapter 1. Container logistics chain and empty container repositioning (ECR) -- Part II -- Chapter 2. Closed-form optimal ECR policy in a single depot with random demand -- Chapter 3. Optimal ECR policy in two-depot stochastic systems: periodic-review -- Chapter 4. Optimal ECR policy...

Using a stochastic dynamic programming model we analyze how French private forest owners make inter-temporal trade-offs between non-timber amenities and timber income. We explicitly take into account the price expectations and forest growth. In addition, unlike previous empirical studies...

Modelling complex systems such as multiple-use reservoirs can be challenging. A legitimate question for scientists and modellers is how best to model their management under uncertain rainfall. This paper studies whether it is worth using a stochastic model that requires more effort than a much...

The management of a water reservoir can be improved thanks to the use of stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) to generate management policies which are efficient with respect to the management objectives (flood protection, water supply for irrigation and hydropower generation, respect of minimum...

This paper builds on our previous work that used a non linear stochastic dynamic programming problem to solve for the optimal level of phosphorus discharged into a watershed. Typically, there is a trade off between profits from agriculture and environmental damage due to excessive levels of...

In this paper we extend the deterministic model of Dechert and Brock (forthcoming) to stochastic models. First, we consider the lake game in a Brock and Mirman framework and show what happens to the Skiba point when there is uncertainty in the model. Second, we develop the model as an optimally...