Monotone optimal control for a class of Markov decision processes

This paper provides a unified framework to study monotone optimal control for a class of Markov decision processes through D-multimodularity. We demonstrate that each system in this class can be classified as either a substitution-type or a complement-type system according to the possible transition...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Li, Michael Z. F., Zhuang, Weifen
Other Authors: Nanyang Business School
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/102555
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/11277
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
Description
Summary:This paper provides a unified framework to study monotone optimal control for a class of Markov decision processes through D-multimodularity. We demonstrate that each system in this class can be classified as either a substitution-type or a complement-type system according to the possible transition set, which can be used as a classification mechanism that integrates a variety of models in the literature. We develop a generic proof of the structural properties of both types of system. In particular, we show that D-multimodularity is a generally sufficient condition for monotone optimal control of different types of system in this class. With this unified theory, there is no need to pursue each problem ad hoc and the structural properties of this class of MDPs follow with ease.