Production takes time, and labor supply and profit maximization decisions that relate to current production are typically made before all shocks affecting that production have been realized. In this paper we re-examine the problem of stochastic optimal growth with aggregate risk where the timing...

In estimation and calibration studies the concept of ergodicity plays a fundamental role. At the same time, a significant number of economic models do not satisfy the classical ergodicity conditions. Motivated by existing work on economic dynamics, we develop a new set of results on ergodicity...

In equilibrium models of firm dynamics, the stationary equilibrium distribution of firms summarizes the predictions of the model for a given set of primitives. Focusing on Hopenhayn's seminal model of firm dynamics with entry and exit (Econometrica, 60:5, 1992, p. 1127–1150), we provide an...

Consider a preordered metric space (X; d;). Suppose that d(x; y) d(x0; y0) if x0 x y y0. We say that a self-map T on X is asymptotically contractive if d(Tix; Tiy) ! 0 for all x; y 2 X. We show that an order-preserving self-map T on X has a globally stable xed point if and only if T is...

In this paper we show that multiple interior steady states are possible in the Ramsey model with elastic labor supply. In particular we establish the following three results: (i) for any discount factor and production function, there is a utility function such that a continuum of interior steady...

In this note, we discuss an order-theoretic approach to dynamic programming. In particular, we explain how order-theoretic fixed point theorems can be used to establish the existence of a fixed point of the Bellman operator, as well as why they are not sufficient to characterize the value...

In this paper we introduce a technique for perfect sampling from the stationary distribution of possibly non-monotone regenerative processes, such as those that describe industry dynamics (where regeneration corresponds to the process of exit of firms and entry of new ones). The algorithm we...

This paper extends a family of well-known stability theorems for monotone economies to a significantly larger class of models. We provide a set of general conditions for existence, uniqueness and stability of stationary distributions when monotonicity holds. The conditions in our main result are...

In this paper we introduce a technique for perfect simulation from the stationary distribution of a standard model of industry dynamics. The method can be adapted to other, possibly non-monotone, regenerative processes found in industrial organization and other fields of economics. The algorithm...

We establish some elementary results on solutions to the Bellman equation without introducing any topological assumption. Under a small number of conditions, we show that the Bellman equation has a unique solution in a certain set, that this solution is the value function, and that the value...