On the Invariance of the Rate of Return to Convex Adjustment Costs

Abstract:     
The Modified Golden Rule, which relates the rate of return on capital and the growth rate of the capital stock along long-run growth paths that maximize the utility of a representative infinitely-lived consumer, is invariant to the introduction of convex capital adjustment costs. Therefore, along balanced growth paths in neoclassical optimal growth models with an exogenous long-run growth rate of capital, the rate of return is invariant to the introduction of convex adjustment costs, though the capital-labor ratio is reduced along such paths. In AK models, convex adjustment costs reduce the growth rate and rate of return on capital.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 21

working papers series