On the Mitra–Wan forestry model: A unified analysis

M. Khan and Adriana Piazza

Journal of Economic Theory, 2012, vol. 147, issue 1, 230-260

Abstract: We present a substantive and far-reaching generalization of the principal results in the economics of forestry, as formalized by Mitra and Wan (1986). Rather than a polarized dichotomy of linear and strictly concave, differentiable benefit (felicity) functions, we develop the theory in the context of functions that are supported at the golden-rule consumption and are not necessarily concave. Through a non-interiority condition on the set of zeroes of a resulting “discrepancy function,” we show the equivalence of finitely-maximal, maximal, minimal value-loss and optimal programs, and thereby answer questions left open by Brock and Mitra. Our synthesizing criterion is new to the capital theory literature, and in the concave setting, proves to be necessary and sufficient for the asymptotic convergence of good programs.

Keywords: Forest management; Good programs; Finitely-maximal programs; Maximal programs; Optimal programs; Value-loss; Discrepancy function; Non-interiority; Asymptotic convergence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C62 D90 Q23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jetheo:v:147:y:2012:i:1:p:230-260

DOI: 10.1016/j.jet.2011.11.010

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