Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T14:51:20.468Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

On optimal policies and martingales in dynamic programming

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2016

Ulrich Rieder*
Affiliation:
University of Hamburg

Abstract

A martingale approach to a dynamic program with general state and action spaces is taken. Several necessary and sufficient conditions are given for a policy to be optimal. The results comprehend and modify different criteria of optimality given for dynamic programming problems. Finally, two applications are stated.

Type
Research Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Applied Probability Trust 1976 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Blackwell, D. (1965) Discounted dynamic programming. Ann. Math. Statist. 36, 226235.Google Scholar
Blackwell, D. (1970) On stationary policies. J. R. Statist. Soc. A 133, 3337.Google Scholar
Chow, Y. S., Robbins, H. and Siegmund, D. (1971) Great Expectations: The Theory of Optimal Stopping. Houghton-Mifflin Company, Boston.Google Scholar
Dubins, L. E. and Savage, L. J. (1965) How to Gamble if You Must: Inequalities for Stochastic Processes. McGraw-Hill, New York.Google Scholar
Hinderer, K. (1970) Foundations of non-stationary dynamic programming with discrete time parameter. Lecture Notes in Operations Research and Mathematical Systems. 33, Springer, Berlin.Google Scholar
Hinderer, K. (1971) Instationäre dynamische Optimierung bei schwachen Voraussetzungen über die Gewinnfunktionen. Abh. Math. Sem. Univ. Hamburg 36, 208223.Google Scholar
Hordijk, A. (1974) Dynamic Programming and Markov Potential Theory. Mathematical Centre Tracts No. 51, Amsterdam.Google Scholar
Neveu, J. (1965) Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability. Holden-Day, San Francisco.Google Scholar
Ornstein, D. (1969) On the existence of stationary optimal strategies. Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 20, 563569.Google Scholar
Rieder, U. (1975) On stopped decision processes with discrete time parameter. Stoch. Proc. Appl. 3, 365383.Google Scholar
Ross, S. M. (1974) Dynamic programming and gambling models. Adv. Appl. Prob. 6, 593600.Google Scholar
Schäl, M. (1975) Conditions for optimality in dynamic programming and for the limit of n -stage optimal policies to be optimal. Z. Wahrscheinlichkeitsth. 32, 179196.Google Scholar
Strauch, R. E. (1966) Negative dynamic programming. Ann. Math. Statist. 37, 871890.Google Scholar
Sudderth, W. (1972) On the Dubins and Savage characterization of optimal strategies. Ann. Math. Statist. 43, 498507.Google Scholar