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Continuous-Time Public Good Contribution under Uncertainty: A Stochastic Control Approach

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  • Giorgio Ferrari
  • Frank Riedel
  • Jan-Henrik Steg

Abstract

In this paper we study continuous-time stochastic control problems with both monotone and classical controls motivated by the so-called public good contribution problem. That is the problem of n economic agents aiming to maximize their expected utility allocating initial wealth over a given time period between private consumption and irreversible contributions to increase the level of some public good. We investigate the corresponding social planner problem and the case of strategic interaction between the agents, i.e. the public good contribution game. We show existence and uniqueness of the social planner's optimal policy, we characterize it by necessary and sufficient stochastic Kuhn-Tucker conditions and we provide its expression in terms of the unique optional solution of a stochastic backward equation. Similar stochastic first order conditions prove to be very useful for studying any Nash equilibria of the public good contribution game. In the symmetric case they allow us to prove (qualitative) uniqueness of the Nash equilibrium, which we again construct as the unique optional solution of a stochastic backward equation. We finally also provide a detailed analysis of the so-called free rider effect.

Suggested Citation

  • Giorgio Ferrari & Frank Riedel & Jan-Henrik Steg, 2013. "Continuous-Time Public Good Contribution under Uncertainty: A Stochastic Control Approach," Papers 1307.2849, arXiv.org, revised Oct 2015.
  • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:1307.2849
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Rama Cont & Xin Guo & Renyuan Xu, 2020. "Pareto Optima for a Class of Singular Control Games," Working Papers hal-03049246, HAL.
    2. Dianetti, Jodi & Ferrari, Giorgio, 2019. "Nonzero-Sum Submodular Monotone-Follower Games. Existence and Approximation of Nash Equilibria," Center for Mathematical Economics Working Papers 605, Center for Mathematical Economics, Bielefeld University.
    3. Cao, Haoyang & Dianetti, Jodi & Ferrari, Giorgio, 2021. "Stationary Discounted and Ergodic Mean Field Games of Singular Control," Center for Mathematical Economics Working Papers 650, Center for Mathematical Economics, Bielefeld University.
    4. Haoyang Cao & Jodi Dianetti & Giorgio Ferrari, 2021. "Stationary Discounted and Ergodic Mean Field Games of Singular Control," Papers 2105.07213, arXiv.org.
    5. Rama Cont & Xin Guo & Renyuan Xu, 2021. "Interbank lending with benchmark rates: Pareto optima for a class of singular control games," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 1357-1393, October.
    6. H. Dharma Kwon, 2019. "Game of Variable Contributions to the Common Good under Uncertainty," Papers 1904.00500, arXiv.org.

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