Optimal consumption of the finite time horizon Ramsey problem (Q1029127): Difference between revisions

The economic growth model mathematically is presented by the Ramsey problem. In the Introduction the concept of the stochastic Ramsey problem with a finite horizon time \(T > 0\) is considered. The aim of this consideration is to choose a consumption rate processes \(c = \{c(t)\}\) maximizing the discounted expected utilities with a constant discount rate \(\alpha \geq 0.\) The associated Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation is given by a parabolic partial differential equation. By changing variables the HJB equation is transformed to a partial differential equation with respect to the viscosity \(V.\) In Section 2 the existence of the viscosity solution \(V\) with \(T = \infty\) is shown. The stochastic control problem \(V(t,x)\) is considered. The auxiliary control problems \(V_{n}(t,x)\) are introduced and in Proposition 2.3 for each \(t,x \geq 0\) the convergence of \(V_{n}(t,x)\) to \(V(t,x)\) as \(n \to \infty\) is proved. In Theorem 2.5 the dynamic programming principle for \(V_{n}\) is established. Theorem 2.8 shows that \(V\) is a viscosity solution to the associated HJB equation with given boundary conditions. In Section 3 the \(C^{1,2}-\)regularity of the continuous viscosity solution \(V\) is studied. A synthesis of the optimal consumption \(c^{*}\) for the stochastic Ramsey problem is presented. The function \(u(t,x) = V(T-t,x)\) is defined and in Theorem 3.2 it is shown that this function is a solution of the associated HJB equation. In Section 4 an application of the obtained results to the infinite time horizon problem is made. The concept of the discounted expected utilities with a discount rate \(\alpha \geq 0\) is developed. A function \(\widehat{V}(x),\) \(x \geq 0\) is defined. Theorem 4.1 shows that the function \(\widehat{V}(x)\) is a solution of a equation of type of HJB equation. Theorem 4.2 shows the form of the optimal policy for the discounted expected utilities problem. Two examples are considered.