The book examines the potential for decentralized economies to achieve efficient resource allocation over an infinite time horizon, addressing a fundamental issue in microeconomics. It builds on the insights of Malinvaud and Samuelson, who highlighted the limitations of price-guided systems in ensuring Pareto optimality. Through a collection of essays, the volume presents advanced research findings that deepen the understanding of these economic challenges and their implications beyond traditional frameworks.
Focusing on mathematical models, this book explores theoretical issues related to sustainability and resource management within the framework of dynamic economics. It provides insights into how these models can address complex challenges in managing resources sustainably, making it a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners in the field.
This collection of essays brings together some articles on dynamic optimization models that exhibit chaotic behavior. Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 appeared in a Symposium on Chaotic Dynamical Systems in Economic Theory (Volume 4, Number 5, 1994). Also, Chapters 10,11, and 12 appeared in the Journal of Economic The ory. We would like to thank the authors, and Academic Press for permission to reprint. We are grateful to Professor C. D. Aliprantis for suggesting the idea of a book structured around the Economic Theory Symposium, and without the support and patience of Dr. Mueller this project could not have been completed. We would like to thank Ms. Amy Gowan who cheerfully per formed the arduous task of typing the manuscript. Thanks are also due to Xiao Qing Yu, Tridip Ray and Malabika Majumdar for their help at various stages in the preparation of the manuscript. For a course on dynamic optimization addressed to students with a good background in economic theory and real analysis, one can assign Chapter 2 as a partial introduction to the basic tech niques. Chapters 3 and 4 can be assigned to provide examples of simple optmization models generating complicated behavior.
