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Sustained positive consumption in a model of stochastic growth: The role of risk aversion

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  • Mitra, Tapan
  • Roy, Santanu

Abstract

In a stochastic economy, long run consumption and output may not be bounded away from zero even when productivity is arbitrarily high near zero and uncertainty is arbitrarily small. In the one-sector stochastic optimal growth model with i.i.d. production shocks, we characterize the nature of preferences that lead to this phenomenon for a stochastic Cobb–Douglas technology. For the general version of the model, we outline sufficient conditions under which the economy expands its capital stock near zero and long run consumption is bounded away from zero with certainty. Our conditions highlight the important role played by risk aversion for small consumption levels.

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  • Mitra, Tapan & Roy, Santanu, 2012. "Sustained positive consumption in a model of stochastic growth: The role of risk aversion," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 147(2), pages 850-880.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jetheo:v:147:y:2012:i:2:p:850-880
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jet.2010.12.010
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    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. Herbst, Anthony F. & Wu, Joseph S.K. & Ho, Chi Pui, 2012. "Relationship between risk attitude and economic recovery in optimal growth theory," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 141-150.
    3. Adriana Piazza & Bernardo Pagnoncelli, 2015. "The stochastic Mitra–Wan forestry model: risk neutral and risk averse cases," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 115(2), pages 175-194, June.
    4. Foss, Sergey & Shneer, Vsevolod & Thomas, Jonathan P. & Worrall, Tim, 2018. "Stochastic stability of monotone economies in regenerative environments," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 334-360.
    5. Acemoglu, Daron, 2012. "Introduction to economic growth," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 147(2), pages 545-550.
    6. Liuchun Deng & Minako Fujio & M. Ali Khan, 2023. "On optimal extinction in the matchbox two-sector model," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 76(2), pages 445-494, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Stochastic growth; Sustained consumption; Extinction; Risk aversion;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D9 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics
    • E2 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment
    • O41 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models

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