Time-to-Build and Cycles

Abstract:     
We analyze the dynamics of a simple growth model in which production occurs with a delay while new capital is installed (time-to-build). The time-to-build technology is shown to yield a system of functional (delay) differential equations with a unique steady state. We demonstrate that the steady state, though typically a saddle, may exhibit Hopf cycles on a measurable set of the parameter space. Furthermore, the optimal path to the steady state is oscillatory. A counter-example to the claim that intrinsically oscillatory on the central technical apparatus the mathematics of functional differential equations.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 28

working papers series