Basic stochastic dynamic systems of growth and trade

Abstract

Uncertainties are intrinsic features of dynamic economic systems, and this paper considers the dynamic implications of factor endowment (labor, capital) uncertainties for a small growing trading economy. The stochastic growth models presented extend the open neoclassical two-sector growth model (Deardorff) to a stochastic environment in continuous time, and extend the diffusion dynamics of one-sector growth models (Merton; Bourguignon) to a trading two-sector economy. It is demonstrated that the basic propositions of deterministic steady-state growth and endogenous growth theory, under some specifications and certain parametric restrictions, are preserved within a stochastic framework.