Optimal risk and dividend control problem with fixed costs and salvage value: Variance premium principle

In this paper we study the combined optimal dividend, capital injection and reinsurance problems in a dynamic setting. The reinsurance premium is assumed to be calculated via the variance principle instead of the expected value principle. The proportional and fixed transaction costs and the salvage value at bankruptcy are included in the model. In both cases of unrestricted dividend rate and restricted dividend rate, we obtain the closed-form solutions of the value function and the optimal joint strategies, which depend on the transaction costs and the profitability in future.     

On optimal reinsurance,dividend and reinvestment strategies

We investigate an optimal reinsurance and dividend problem of an insurance company with the presence of reinvestments, or retained earnings. We consider the general situation that the company needs to pay both fixed and proportional costs. The object of the company is to determine reinsurance, dividend and reinvestment strategies so as to maximize the difference between the expected discounted dividends minus the expected discounted reinvestment until the time of ruin. We focus on the excess-of-loss reinsurance strategy, which is shown to be optimal. The mixed classical-impulse control is then used to discuss the problem. Using inventory control theory, the value function and optimal strategy are derived.     

Present bias and corporate tax policies

Two major forms of corporate tax policies are dividend and profits taxes. Based on conventional corporate theory, these tax policies distort the firm's investment decisions and decrease firm value. However, this paper shows that under hyperbolically discounted preferences, dividend taxation is capable of boosting firm investment in a value‐enhancing way. The hyperbolically discounted present value can be interpreted as reflecting irrational myopic preferences or, as we demonstrate, reduced‐form implications of corporate agency issues. Both cases result in an underinvestment problem for the firm, but the firm valuation criteria differ. The optimal taxation issue is discussed under a Cobb–Douglas production function setting.     

Optimal Controls for a Large Insurance Under a CEV Model: Based on the Legendre Transform-Dual Method

The purpose of this paper is to consider the optimal proportional reinsurance and investment strategies for an insurance company. The insurer’s surplus process is approximated by a Brownian motion with drift. The insurance company can purchase proportional reinsurance and invest the surplus in a financial market which includes one risk-free asset and one risky asset whose price is modeled by a CEV model. The primary problem is changed to the dual problem by implying Legendre transform. When the objective of the insurance company is to maximize the expected logarithmic utility from terminal wealth, the closed-form expressions for the optimal reinsurance-investment policy which is different to the Merton case to the primal optimal problem are obtained and numerical simulations are provided to demonstrate our results. Moreover, we find an interesting result that risk exposure is non-monotonic in the cost of reinsurance.

     

Regulated absolute ruin problem with interest structure and linear dividend barrier

The uncontrolled surplus of an insurance company is a classical risk model. Now the risk model includes three features, namely debit interest, short-term and long-term invested interest, and linear dividend barrier. In this paper, the PDMP method and martingales are used for solvency studies in the risk model under regulation of minimum cash requirement. The integro-differential equations are derived for the expected discounted dividends under absolute ruin. In the case of exponential claim amounts, explicit expressions are obtained, as well as the numerical illustrations and their economic interpretation.     

Spatial dynamics and convergence: The spatial AK model

We study the optimal dynamics of an AK economy where population is uniformly distributed along the unit circle. Locations only differ in initial capital endowments. Spatio-temporal capital dynamics are described by a parabolic partial differential equation. The application of the maximum principle leads to necessary but non-sufficient first-order conditions. Thanks to the linearity of the production technology and the special spatial setting considered, the value function of the problem is found explicitly, and the (unique) optimal control is identified in feedback form. Despite constant returns to capital, we prove that the spatio-temporal dynamics, induced by the willingness of the planner to give the same (detrended) consumption over space and time, lead to convergence in the level of capital across locations in the long-run.     

Optimal reinsurance policies with two reinsurers in continuous time

An optimal reinsurance problem of an insurer is studied in a continuous-time model, where insurance risk is partly transferred to two reinsurers, one adopting the expected-value premium principle and another one using the variance premium principle. The insurer aims to select an optimal reinsurance arrangement to minimize the probability of ruin. To provide an easy-to-implement solution to the problem, (semi)-explicit expressions for the optimal reinsurance strategies as well as the minimal ruin probabilities are derived for several claims distributions. Numerical studies including a real-data example based on the Danish fire insurance losses are provided to illustrate the solution of the problem. Our empirical results based on the Danish data reveal that the heavy-right-tailedness of claims distributions has a significant impact on the optimal reinsurance strategies and has a quite pronounced impact on the residual risk described by the minimal ruin probability.     

国企分红再分配与投资 决策价值相关性研究* ——基于国有资本红利返还的初步证据

以2007年以来颁布的有关规范国有资本收益收缴和资本预算制度为背景，本文考察了上市国有企业分红对其资本性投资支出决策价值相关性的影响机理。搜集以国有企业分红返还为代表的“体内循环”证据，通过国有股权比例衡量红利“体内循环”的预期操控强度，验证了国有股红利“体内循环”与企业资本性投资支出决策价值相关性的关系以及受国有资本收益收缴和预算制度的影响。本文指出的国资红利再分配的“两面性”，对混合所有制发展和国有企业市值管理均具有一定的理论和现实意义。     

Optimal Two Sector Growth Models with Three Factors

The paper is devoted to construction of optimal trajectories in the model, which balances growth trends of investments in capital and labor efficiency. The model is constructed within the framework of classical approaches of the growth theory. It is based on three production factors: capital, educated labor and useful work. GDP level is described by a production function of the Cobb–Douglas type. The utility function of the growth process is given by an integral consumption index discounted on the infinite horizon. The optimal control problem is posed to balance investments in capital and labor efficiency. The problem is solved on the basis of dynamic programming principles. A novelty of the solution consists in constructing nonlinear stabilizers constructed on the feedback principle, which leads the system from any current position to a steady state. Growth and decline trends of the simulated trajectories are studied for all components included in the model.     

Optimal Capital Taxation in a Neoclassical Growth Model

This paper studies the optimal factor tax incidence in a neoclassical growth model with a given share of government expenditure in output. In the Ramsey planner's optimization, the effect of next period's capital on government expenditure equals the given share of the marginal product of capital. Capital accumulation reduces the discounted net marginal product of next period's capital by way of increasing government expenditure. In order to internalize the distortion, it is optimal to tax capital income in the long run.     

劳动与资本在价值创造中的正和关系研究

在传统剩余价值论的架构中,劳动与资本在价值创造中只存在零和关系。本文试图在劳动价值论的前提下,论证劳动与资本在价值创造中可能存在的正和关系。经历了有关资本主义劳动过程的长期争论,多数西方马克思主义者认为,发达资本主义经济中存在着工人技能升级的长期趋势。这一点为我们运用"成正比"理论奠定了经验的前提。劳动生产率与单位时间创造的价值量成正比的理论,在国内已有半个世纪的历史。本文进一步发展了这一理论,将其运用于分析以技术变革和劳动复杂程度提高为基础的价值形成过程,并据以论述了劳动与资本之间的正和关系得以实现的经济条件。这种在不同层面存在的正和关系构成了相对剩余价值规律的抵销因素。     

Correlated Pollutants, Interregional Redistribution and Labor Attachment in a Federation

We examine the efficiency of federal policies in a federation characterized by decentralized leadership, imperfect labor mobility and transboundary pollution. Selfish regional governments regulate correlated pollutant emissions by choosing pollution tax and abatement levels in anticipation of the center’s redistributive policy. The center’s objective function obeys a proportional equity principle, which implies that its choice of interregional transfer satisfies the equalization of weighted regional welfare levels. Regional and central governments make their choices subject to migration incentives. We show that the subgame perfect equilibrium for the sequential game played by regional and central governments yields socially optimal policies. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Methods for estimating optimal Dickson and Waters modification dividend barrier

In applications of collective risk theory, complete information for the distribution of individual claims amount is often unknown, but reliable estimates of its first few moments may be available. Dickson and Waters [Dickson, D.C.M. and Waters, H.R., (2004) Some optimal dividends problems, Astin Bulletin, 34, 49–74.] pointed out that shareholders should be liable to cover the deficit at ruin. Thus, they considered b the level of the barrier that maximizes the expectation of the difference between the discounted dividends until ruin and the discounted deficit at ruin. For such a situation, this paper develops methods for estimating the Dickson–Waters modification for the optimal dividend barrier b with the expectation of discounted penalty at ruin. In particular, two De Vylder approximations are explained, and the diffusion approximation for the expectation of discounted penalty at ruin is examined. For several claim amount distributions, the approximate values are compared numerically with exact values.     

Optimal project adjustment and selection

These days companies are competing in a fast changing environment. To keep its competitiveness, the company needs not only to seek and select new investment opportunities but also to adjust its existing projects. This paper discusses an optimal project selection and adjusting problem under capital and land resource limitations. Due to the complex and dynamic nature of the economic environment, the project parameters such as initial outlays, upgrade expenditures and net cash flows are treated as random variables. Net present value method is employed to calculate the investment return, and a mean–variance optimal adjustment and selection model is developed. To solve the proposed optimization problem with big number decision variables, a cellular binary particle swarm optimization which hybridizes cellular automation and particle swarm optimization is proposed. As an illustration of the proposed algorithm, a numerical example is also presented.     

Profit Maximization and the Market Selection Hypothesis

We examine the proposition that competitive firms must behave as if they were maximizing profits; otherwise they would go bankrupt, or even fail to be financed in a competitive capital market. We investigate a model in which an entrepreneur raises funds for a risky enterprise on a competitive capital market, by offering a "dividend policy" based on the realized (stochastic) flow of earnings. We show that an entrepreneur who maximizes the expected sum of discounted dividends is sure to fail in finite time. On the other hand, many other behaviours yield positive expected profits and are able to attract investment funds, and yet result in a positive probability of surviving forever. As a consequence, if new firms have sufficiently diverse behaviours, then even if there is a constant stream of new entrants, after a long time practically all of the surviving firms will not have been maximizing profits.     

Dividend policies in Australia and Japan

This paper presents the findings of a comparative study of dividend policies in Australia and Japan. It examines panel data from the constituent stocks of the ASX 200 Index of the Australian stock market and the Nikkei 225 Index of the Japanese stock market. The evidence that Australia, with an imputation tax system which favors dividends over capital gains, has a significantly higher dividend payout than Japan lends support to the influence of environment on dividend policy. Dividend policies in Australia and Japan are affected by different financial factors. Fixed effects regression models indicate that dividend policies are affected positively by size in Australia and liquidity in Japan, and negatively by risk in Japan only. An industry effect is found to be significant in both countries.     

科技保险基金风险管理与投资策略研究展望

在介绍科技保险与再保险研究情况的基础上,探讨如何针对科技保险的风险机制和保险特征研究科技保险基金的风险管理与投资策略问题。在综述相关研究现状与趋势后认为,可从以下方面展开：建立风险资产模型,构造一个新型风险函数,研究最优再保险策略与各参数之间的关系以及最优分红策略,并研究风险资产模型对破产概率和确定时刻预期累计收益的影响;研究再保险方式对破产概率和确定时刻预期累计收益的影响;研究不同效用函数对不同确定时刻预期累计收益的影响,并引入不同风险测度方法,研究在不同情形下如何选择最优风险测度准则;考虑再保险双方,设计一种新的保险机制;建立试点平台,采集大量经验概率,并以此为基础建立科技保险的费率厘定模型,进而形成一套方法体系。     

Dividends, safety and liquidation when liabilities are long-term and stochastic

This paper investigates the optimal management of a firm faced with a long-term liability that occurs at a random date. Three issues are analysed: The optimal dividend policy; optimal expenditure on safety to delay the occurrence of the liability; and the optimal liquidation date of the firm. An owner faced with dynamic unlimited liability never liquidates and therefore accumulates capital to the golden rule level. For long-term liabilities, dividend payments and safety expenditure are non-decreasing over time. The owner protected by limited liability may liquidate the firm in finite time in order to avoid paying the liability. If this is the case, then it accumulates less capital than the dynamic unlimited liability owner; and may decrease dividend payments and safety expenditure over time. The paper shows that a finite liquidation date is more likely to be optimal when the arrival rate of the liability occurrence increases over time.     

Analysing the effect of excess cash accumulation on financial decisions

In this current moment of crisis it is very important for firms to hold a suitable amount of cash. But it is also very important to analyse how this amount of cash affects firm value. Here an in-depth study is made of the determination of firm value centring our attention on the problem of excess cash accumulation. This article adds important value to the existing literature since, employing the panel data methodology in the sample of Spanish nonfinancial firms, it identifies whether excess cash holding affects firm value in general, and investment, financing and dividend decisions in particular. The results show how asymmetric information among the economic agents of the firm affects the cash reserves. In particular, shareholders could penalize the investment made by these firms and consider the positive effect that the debt in particular and the dividend policies exert on the firm. Moreover, the results reveal the importance of financial flexibility as opposed to the arguments provided by agency theory.     

On the effects of macroeconomic policy in a maximizing model of a small open economy

This paper investigates the effects of government policies in a small open economy. Determination of the exchange rate and the effects of macroeconomic policies on the balance-of-payments accounts are examined in a model of infinitely lived, utility-maximizing agents who have perfect foresight. Residents of the country and the government borrow and lend in a world capital market which constrains them to live within their means. The dependence of consumption, leisure, and real-balance holdings on the present discounted value of government expenditure and real debt is demonstrated. Government policies must be dynamically consistent.