IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/enreec/v26y2003i4p575-602.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Managing Systems with Non-convex Positive Feedback

Author

Listed:
  • W.A. Brock
  • D. Starrett

Abstract

We study here optimal management of dynamic ecological systemsthat exhibit a destabilizing positive feedback. The prototypeexample is that of a shallow lake in which phosphorous loadingplaced by anthropogenic activities (fertilizers for farmingand gardening) is stored in sediments until a critical levelis reached after which there is a destabilizing return to thewater – the tradeoff between farming interests and lake qualitygenerates an optimal control problem. We show that in such systems, there may be a variety of local optima and associatedbasins of attraction wherein the optimal path may depend onstarting state (phosphorous stock). We characterize the variouspossible optimal behaviors and identify the ambiguities thatcan only be resolved by choice of functional form. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 2003

Suggested Citation

  • W.A. Brock & D. Starrett, 2003. "Managing Systems with Non-convex Positive Feedback," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 26(4), pages 575-602, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:enreec:v:26:y:2003:i:4:p:575-602
    DOI: 10.1023/B:EARE.0000007350.11040.e3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1023/B:EARE.0000007350.11040.e3
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1023/B:EARE.0000007350.11040.e3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. W. A. Brock & A. Haurie, 1976. "On Existence of Overtaking Optimal Trajectories Over an Infinite Time Horizon," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 1(4), pages 337-346, November.
    2. Skiba, A K, 1978. "Optimal Growth with a Convex-Concave Production Function," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 46(3), pages 527-539, May.
    3. Tahvonen, Olli & Salo, Seppo, 1996. "Nonconvexities in Optimal Pollution Accumulation," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 160-177, September.
    4. W. A. Brock, 1970. "On Existence of Weakly Maximal Programmes in a Multi-Sector Economy," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 37(2), pages 275-280.
    5. Ivar Ekeland & José Alexandre Scheinkman, 1986. "Transversality Conditions for Some Infinite Horizon Discrete Time Optimization Problems," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 11(2), pages 216-229, May.
    6. Spence, A Michael & Starrett, David, 1975. "Most Rapid Approach Paths in Accumulation Problems," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 16(2), pages 388-403, June.
    7. Ludwig,D. & Carpenter,S. & Brock,W., 2002. "Optimal phosphorus loading for a potentially eutrophic lake," Working papers 9, Wisconsin Madison - Social Systems.
    8. Brock, W. A. & Dochert, W. D., 1983. "The Generalized Maximum Principle," SSRI Workshop Series 292592, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Social Systems Research Institute.
    9. Keller, Klaus & Bolker, Benjamin M. & Bradford, D.F.David F., 2004. "Uncertain climate thresholds and optimal economic growth," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 723-741, July.
    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. Brock,W.A. & Starrett,D., 2000. "Nonconvexities in ecological management problems," Working papers 26, Wisconsin Madison - Social Systems.
    2. Dawid, Herbert & Kopel, Michael, 1997. "On the Economically Optimal Exploitation of a Renewable Resource: The Case of a Convex Environment and a Convex Return Function," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 76(2), pages 272-297, October.
    3. Kamihigashi, Takashi, 2005. "Necessity of the transversality condition for stochastic models with bounded or CRRA utility," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 29(8), pages 1313-1329, August.
    4. Dechert, W.D. & O'Donnell, S.I., 2006. "The stochastic lake game: A numerical solution," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 30(9-10), pages 1569-1587.
    5. Koji Kotani & Makoto Kakinaka & Hiroyuki Matsuda, 2006. "Dynamic Economic Analysis on Invasive Species Management: Some Policy Implications of Catchability," Working Papers EMS_2006_16, Research Institute, International University of Japan.
    6. Ranjan, Ram & Shortle, James, 2007. "The environmental Kuznets curve when the environment exhibits hysteresis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 204-215, October.
    7. 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.
    8. Khan, M. Ali & Zaslavski, Alexander J., 2009. "On existence of optimal programs: The RSS model without concavity assumptions on felicities," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(9-10), pages 624-633, September.
    9. Horan, R.D. & Bulte, E.H., 2004. "Optimal and open access harvesting and multi-use species in a second best world," Other publications TiSEM 95000e50-7225-4f4d-aeaf-a, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    10. Fabbri, Giorgio & Faggian, Silvia & Freni, Giuseppe, 2017. "Non-existence of optimal programs for undiscounted growth models in continuous time," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 57-61.
    11. Lemoine, Derek M. & Traeger, Christian P., 2010. "Tipping Points and Ambiguity in the Economics of Climate Change," CUDARE Working Papers 98127, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    12. Fabien Prieur, 2009. "The environmental Kuznets curve in a world of irreversibility," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 40(1), pages 57-90, July.
    13. Augeraud-Veron, Emmanuelle & Boucekkine, Raouf & Gozzi, Fausto & Venditti, Alain & Zou, Benteng, 2024. "Fifty years of mathematical growth theory: Classical topics and new trends," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    14. Tatiana Kiseleva & Florian Wagener, 2015. "Bifurcations of Optimal Vector Fields," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 40(1), pages 24-55, February.
    15. Farzin, Y. Hossein & Akao, Ken-Ichi, 2006. "When is it Optimal to Exhaust a Resource in a Finite Time?," Natural Resources Management Working Papers 12153, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    16. Kamihigashi, Takashi & Roy, Santanu, 2007. "A nonsmooth, nonconvex model of optimal growth," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 132(1), pages 435-460, January.
    17. Polasky, Stephen & de Zeeuw, Aart & Wagener, Florian, 2011. "Optimal management with potential regime shifts," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 229-240, September.
    18. Montrucchio, Luigi & Privileggi, Fabio, 2001. "On Fragility of Bubbles in Equilibrium Asset Pricing Models of Lucas-Type," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 101(1), pages 158-188, November.
    19. Richard Horan & Erwin Bulte, 2004. "Optimal and Open Access Harvesting of Multi-Use Species in a Second-Best World," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 28(3), pages 251-272, July.
    20. Ulla Lehmijoki, 2004. "On the Beach? Sustainability, Optimal Pollution, and Optimal Population," DEGIT Conference Papers c009_039, DEGIT, Dynamics, Economic Growth, and International Trade.

    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:kap:enreec:v:26:y:2003:i:4:p:575-602. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.