This dissertation consists of three independent essays in macroeconomics. The first essay studies the transition to a low carbon economy using an extension of the neoclassical growth model featuring endogenous energy efficiency, exhaustible energy and explicit climate-economy interaction. I...

Economics is the study of choices, and how they are made compatible. The issue of global warming can be viewed in the context of a set of choices that lead to climate change. In a free society choices are made compatible via the price system. If prices do not reflect the true cost of carbon,...

In this paper we propose a methodology that we believe improves the effectiveness of several common assumptions underlying Modern Portfolio Theory's dynamic optimization framework. The paper derives a general outline of a stochastic nonlinear-quadratic control for analyzing and solving a...

This dissertation provides a thorough analysis of the costs associated with, andefficacy of, sequential license buyback auctions. I use data from the Texas ShrimpLicense Buyback Program - a sequential license buyback auction - to estimate theeffects of a repeated game set-up on bidding behavior....

This paper adapts a generalized expected utility (GEU) maximization model (Epstein and Zin, 1989 and 1991) to examine the intertemporal risk management of wheat producers in the Pacific Northwest. Optimization results based on simulated data indicate the feasibility of the GEU optimization as a...

Identifying the optimal switching point between different invasive alien species (IAS) management policies is a very complex task and policy makers are in need of modelling tools to assist them. In this paper we develop an optimal control bioeconomic model to estimate the type of optimal policy...

This study examines the interaction between insurance, credit and liquidityconstraints using a stochastic dynamic model. A risk averse farmer whoseobjective is to manage both production and market risk is assumed tomaximize the expected utility of life-time consumption by using both arearevenue...