A model for optimal infrastructure investment in boom towns

A linear model to determine the optimal policy for investment in social infrastructure is formulated and its solution is obtained using the Maximum Principle. The unique solution is characterized by a-bang-bang control, with only one interval of investment in social capital, and the endpoints of thi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Poklitar, Joanne Carol
Language:English
Published: 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2429/22238
Description
Summary:A linear model to determine the optimal policy for investment in social infrastructure is formulated and its solution is obtained using the Maximum Principle. The unique solution is characterized by a-bang-bang control, with only one interval of investment in social capital, and the endpoints of this interval can be numerically determined, given values for the parameters of the model. A generalization of the model which allows instantaneous jumps in the level of social capital is also analyzed, and the solution to the modified problem is shown to be a uniquely determined impulse control. The final extension of the model allows us to determine an upper bound for the optimal time horizon. === Science, Faculty of === Mathematics, Department of === Graduate