Markowitz’s (1952) portfolio theory has permeated financial institutions over the past 50 years. Assuming that returns are normally distributed, Markowitz suggests that portfolio optimization should be performed in a mean-variance framework. With the emergence of hedge funds and their...

We derive discrete markov chain approximations for continuous state equilibrium term structure models. The states and transition probabilities of the markov chain are chosen effciently according to a quadrature rule as in Tauchen and Hussey (1991). Quadrature provides a simple yet method which...

We consider the forestry decision-making and harvesting problem from the perspective of financial portfolio management, where harvestable forest stands constitute one of the liquid assets of the portfolio. Using real data from Finnish mixed borealis forests and from the Helsinki stock exchange,...

Most economic models implicitly or explicitly assume that interactions between economic agents are 'global' - in other words, each agent interacts in a uniform manner with every other agent. However, localized interactions between microeconomic agents are a pervasive feature of reality. What are...

This paper studies models where the correspondences (or functions) under consideration are never increasing (or weakly decreasing) in endogenous variables, and weakly increasing in exogenous parameters. Such models include games of strategic substitutes, and include cases where additionally,...

The present paper shows why information asymmetry and bivariate stochastic demand and spot price induce different behaviours and economic inefficiency in a carrier – shipper relationship. An example is offered of a single period, single echelon, shipper-carrier transport model where demand...

Special pairs of the utility functions and the production functions are used in this paper to uncover the transitional dynamics in a Lucas model of growth. The main findings are as follows: A continuum of equilibria exists if the external effect of human capital in goods production is...

I study the consequences of heterogeneity of skills for the design of an optimal unemployment insurance, using a principal-agent set-up with a risk neutral insurer and infinitely lived risk averse agents. Agents, who are characterised by different productivities or skills, are employed by firms...

This paper extends the standard Real Business Cycle model to incorporate sectoral shifts in unemployment. Using relative sectoral technology and sectoral tastes shocks, combined with labor adjustment costs across sectors, we assess the possibility of generating persistent aggregate unemployment....