On maximin dynamic programming and the rate of discount

Jean-Pierre Drugeon & Thai Ha-Huy (University of Evry Paris-Saclay) & Do Hanh Nguyen (Maritime University, Vietnam)

 

This article establishes a dynamic programming argument for a maximin optimization problem where the agent completes a minimization over a set of discount rates. Even though the consideration of a maximin criterion results in a program that is not convex and not stationary over time, it is proved that a careful reference to extended dynamic programming principles and a maxmin functional equation however allows for circumventing these difficulties and recovering an optimal sequence that is time consistent.