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How Robust is Robust Control in Discrete Time?

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  • Marco P. Tucci

    (Università di Siena)

Abstract

By applying robust control, the decision maker wants to make good decisions when his model is only a good approximation of the true one. Such decisions are said to be robust to model misspecification. In this paper it is shown that, in many situations relevant in economics, a decision maker applying robust control implicitly assumes that today’s worst-case adverse shock is serially uncorrelated with tomorrow’s worst-case adverse shock. Then, further investigation is needed to see how strong is the ‘immunization against uncertainty’ provided by these popular frameworks.

Suggested Citation

  • Marco P. Tucci, 2021. "How Robust is Robust Control in Discrete Time?," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 58(2), pages 279-309, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:compec:v:58:y:2021:i:2:d:10.1007_s10614-020-10027-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10614-020-10027-z
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    Cited by:

    1. Marco P. Tucci, 2024. "A Critical Introduction to the Usual Robust Control Framework in Macroeconomics," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 64(2), pages 625-641, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Linear quadratic tracking problem; Optimal control; Robust optimization; Time-varying parameters;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C61 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Optimization Techniques; Programming Models; Dynamic Analysis
    • C63 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Computational Techniques
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E61 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Policy Objectives; Policy Designs and Consistency; Policy Coordination

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