IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/kob/dpaper/dp2012-31.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Elementary Results on Solutions to the Bellman Equation of Dynamic Programming: Existence, Uniqueness, and Convergence

Author

Listed:
  • Takashi Kamihigashi

    (Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration (RIEB), Kobe University, Japan)

Abstract

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 function can be computed by value iteration with an appropriate initial condition. We also show that the value function can be computed by the same procedure under alternative conditions. We apply our results to two optimal growth models, one with a discontinuous production function, the other with "roughly increasing" returns.

Suggested Citation

  • Takashi Kamihigashi, 2012. "Elementary Results on Solutions to the Bellman Equation of Dynamic Programming: Existence, Uniqueness, and Convergence," Discussion Paper Series DP2012-31, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    • Handle: RePEc:kob:dpaper:dp2012-31
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    To our knowledge, this item is not available for download. To find whether it is available, there are three options:
    1. Check below whether another version of this item is available online.
    2. Check on the provider's web page whether it is in fact available.
    3. Perform a search for a similarly titled item that would be available.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Romer, Paul M, 1986. "Increasing Returns and Long-run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(5), pages 1002-1037, October.
    2. Larry Karp & Jiangfeng Zhang, 2016. "Taxes Versus Quantities for a Stock Pollutant with Endogenous Abatement Costs and Asymmetric Information," Studies in Economic Theory, in: Graciela Chichilnisky & Armon Rezai (ed.), The Economics of the Global Environment, pages 493-533, Springer.
    3. Yann Algan & Edouard Challe & Xavier Ragot, 2011. "Incomplete markets and the output–inflation tradeoff," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 46(1), pages 55-84, January.
    4. Dutta, Prajit K & Mitra, Tapan, 1989. "On Continuity of the Utility Function in Intertemporal Allocation Models: An Example," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 30(3), pages 527-536, August.
    5. Kamihigashi, Takashi & Roy, Santanu, 2007. "A nonsmooth, nonconvex model of optimal growth," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 132(1), pages 435-460, January.
    6. Le Van, Cuong & Morhaim, Lisa, 2002. "Optimal Growth Models with Bounded or Unbounded Returns: A Unifying Approach," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 105(1), pages 158-187, July.
    7. Michel, Philippe, 1990. "Some Clarifications on the Transversality Condition," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 58(3), pages 705-723, May.
    8. Takashi Kamihigashi & Taiji Furusawa, 2010. "Global dynamics in repeated games with additively separable payoffs," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 13(4), pages 899-918, October.
    9. Mihaela Schaar & Jie Xu & William Zame, 2013. "Efficient online exchange via fiat money," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 54(2), pages 211-248, October.
    10. Takashi Kamihigashi, 2014. "An order-theoretic approach to dynamic programming: an exposition," Economic Theory Bulletin, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 2(1), pages 13-21, April.
    11. Dutta, Prajit K. & Mitra, Tapan, 1989. "Maximum theorems for convex structures with an application to the theory of optimal intertemporal allocation," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 77-86, February.
    12. Yann Algan & Edouard Challe & Xavier Ragot, 2011. "Incomplete markets and the output-inflation tradeoff," Post-Print halshs-00654652, HAL.
    13. Santanu Roy & Itzhak Zilcha, 2012. "Stochastic growth with short-run prediction of shocks," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 51(3), pages 539-580, November.
    14. Amir, Rabah & Mirman, Leonard J & Perkins, William R, 1991. "One-Sector Nonclassical Optimal Growth: Optimality Conditions and Comparative Dynamics," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 32(3), pages 625-644, August.
    15. Takashi Kamihigashi, 2008. "On the principle of optimality for nonstationary deterministic dynamic programming," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 4(4), pages 519-525, December.
    16. Prajit K. Dutta & Roy Radner, 2016. "Capital Growth in a Global Warming Model: Will China and India Sign a Climate Treaty?," Studies in Economic Theory, in: Graciela Chichilnisky & Armon Rezai (ed.), The Economics of the Global Environment, pages 277-310, Springer.
    17. Catarina Reis, 2013. "Taxation without commitment," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 52(2), pages 565-588, March.
    18. Janusz Matkowski & Andrzej Nowak, 2011. "On discounted dynamic programming with unbounded returns," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 46(3), pages 455-474, April.
    19. Francis Bloch & Nicolas Houy, 2012. "Optimal assignment of durable objects to successive agents," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 51(1), pages 13-33, September.
    20. Muradian, Roldan, 2001. "Ecological thresholds: a survey," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 7-24, July.
    21. Gastón Llanes & Stefano Trento, 2012. "Patent policy, patent pools, and the accumulation of claims in sequential innovation," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 50(3), pages 703-725, August.
    22. Takashi Kamihigashi & Santanu Roy, 2006. "Dynamic optimization with a nonsmooth, nonconvex technology: the case of a linear objective function," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 29(2), pages 325-340, October.
    23. Costas Azariadis & Allan Drazen, 1990. "Threshold Externalities in Economic Development," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 105(2), pages 501-526.
    24. Juan Rincón-Zapatero & Carlos Rodríguez-Palmero, 2007. "Recursive utility with unbounded aggregators," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 33(2), pages 381-391, November.
    25. Takashi Kamihigashi & John Stachurski, 2011. "Existence, Stability and Computation of Stationary Distributions: An Extension of the Hopenhayn-Prescott Theorem," Discussion Paper Series DP2011-32, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    26. Helios Herrera & César Martinelli, 2013. "Oligarchy, democracy, and state capacity," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 52(1), pages 165-186, January.
    27. Juan Pablo RincÛn-Zapatero & Carlos RodrÌguez-Palmero, 2003. "Existence and Uniqueness of Solutions to the Bellman Equation in the Unbounded Case," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 71(5), pages 1519-1555, September.
    28. repec:dau:papers:123456789/4077 is not listed on IDEAS
    29. Alvarez, Fernando & Stokey, Nancy L., 1998. "Dynamic Programming with Homogeneous Functions," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 82(1), pages 167-189, September.
    30. Jorge DurÂn, 2000. "On dynamic programming with unbounded returns," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 15(2), pages 339-352.
    31. Yann Algan & Edouard Challe & Xavier Ragot, 2011. "Incomplete markets and the output-inflation tradeoff," PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) halshs-00654652, HAL.
    32. V. Filipe Martins-da-Rocha & Yiannis Vailakis, 2010. "Existence and Uniqueness of a Fixed Point for Local Contractions," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 78(3), pages 1127-1141, May.
    33. Aditya Goenka & Lin Liu, 2012. "Infectious diseases and endogenous fluctuations," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 50(1), pages 125-149, May.
    34. Charalambos D. Aliprantis & Kim C. Border, 2006. "Infinite Dimensional Analysis," Springer Books, Springer, edition 0, number 978-3-540-29587-7, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Takashi Kamihigashi, 2014. "An order-theoretic approach to dynamic programming: an exposition," Economic Theory Bulletin, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 2(1), pages 13-21, April.
    2. Philippe Bich & Jean-Pierre Drugeon & Lisa Morhaim, 2018. "On Temporal Aggregators and Dynamic Programming," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) halshs-01437496, HAL.
    3. Philippe Bich & Jean-Pierre Drugeon & Lisa Morhaim, 2018. "On temporal aggregators and dynamic programming," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 66(3), pages 787-817, October.
    4. Kamihigashi, Takashi & Roy, Santanu, 2007. "A nonsmooth, nonconvex model of optimal growth," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 132(1), pages 435-460, January.
    5. Takashi Kamihigashi, 2011. "Existence and Uniqueness of a Fixed Point for the Bellman Operator in Deterministic Dynamic Programming," Discussion Paper Series DP2011-23, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    6. Takashi Kamihigashi & Masayuki Yao, 2015. "Infnite-Horizon Deterministic Dynamic Programming in Discrete Time: A Monotone Convergence Principle," Discussion Paper Series DP2015-32, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    7. Takashi Kamihigashi & Masayuki Yao, 2015. "Deterministic Dynamic Programming in Discrete Time: A Monotone Convergence Principle," Discussion Paper Series DP2015-15, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    8. Philippe Bich & Jean-Pierre Drugeon & Lisa Morhaim, 2015. "On Aggregators and Dynamic Programming," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) halshs-01169552, HAL.
    9. Bloise, G. & Van, C. Le & Vailakis, Y., 2024. "An approximation approach to dynamic programming with unbounded returns," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    10. Philippe Bich & Jean-Pierre Drugeon & Lisa Morhaim, 2015. "On Aggregators and Dynamic Programming," Post-Print halshs-01169552, HAL.
    11. Philippe Bich & Jean-Pierre Drugeon & Lisa Morhaim, 2015. "On Aggregators and Dynamic Programming," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 15053, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    12. Takashi Kamihigashi & Masayuki Yao, 2016. "Infinite-Horizon Deterministic Dynamic Programming in Discrete Time: A Monotone Convergence Principle and a Penalty Method," Discussion Paper Series DP2016-05, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University, revised May 2016.
    13. Jean-Pierre Drugeon & Thai Ha-Huy & Thi Do Hanh Nguyen, 2019. "On maximin dynamic programming and the rate of discount," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 67(3), pages 703-729, April.
    14. Janusz Matkowski & Andrzej Nowak, 2011. "On discounted dynamic programming with unbounded returns," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 46(3), pages 455-474, April.
    15. Bäuerle, Nicole & Jaśkiewicz, Anna, 2018. "Stochastic optimal growth model with risk sensitive preferences," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 181-200.
    16. Le Van, Cuong & Vailakis, Yiannis, 2005. "Recursive utility and optimal growth with bounded or unbounded returns," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 123(2), pages 187-209, August.
    17. John Stachurski, 2009. "Economic Dynamics: Theory and Computation," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262012774, April.
    18. Anna Jaśkiewicz & Andrzej Nowak, 2011. "Stochastic Games with Unbounded Payoffs: Applications to Robust Control in Economics," Dynamic Games and Applications, Springer, vol. 1(2), pages 253-279, June.
    19. Suen, Richard M. H., 2009. "Bounding the CRRA Utility Functions," MPRA Paper 13260, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. repec:cte:werepe:35342 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Ken-Ichi Akao & Takashi Kamihigashi & Kazuo Nishimura, 2015. "Critical Capital Stock in a Continuous-Time Growth Model with a Convex-Concave Production Function," Discussion Paper Series DP2015-39, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Dynamic programming; Bellman equation; Value function; Fixed point;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C61 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Optimization Techniques; Programming Models; Dynamic Analysis

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kob:dpaper:dp2012-31. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Office of Promoting Research Collaboration, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/rikobjp.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.