abstract in this paper, markov chain and dynamic programming were used to represent a suitable pattern for tax relief and tax evasion decrease based on tax earnings in iran from 2005 to 2009. results, by applying this model, showed that tax evasion were 6714 billion rials**. with 4% relief to tax payers and by calculating present value of the received tax, it was reduced to 3108 billion rials. ...

We study the dynamic pricing decisions for competitive network service providers. We assume that each competing firm follows a three-part pricing scheme, which consists of an ongoing membership fee, a usage fee for communications within the networks, and another usage fee for communications across the networks. The difference between the two usage fees is the network-based price discount that a...

In this paper we discuss the sensitive discount opti-mality for Markov decision processes. The n-discount optimality is a reened selective criterion, that is a generalization of the average optimality and the bias optimality. Our approach is based on the system of nested linear programs. In the last section we provide an algorithm for the computation of the Blackwell optimal policy. The n-disco...

The forensic economics literature hosts a continuing debate about the appropriateness of using historical verses current rates to predict future net discount rates. If the net discount rate series is stationary, which means that shocks are transitory and the series reverts to a long-term mean value, estimates based on historical values are reasonable. Alternatively, if the series exhibits a uni...

Costs and benefits in the distant future have little consequence today when valued with conventional discount rates. This is particularly relevant for assessing policies with effects hundreds of years in the future, such as mitigating the damages from global warming. Many authors and analysts have responded by arguing for the use of lower discount rates over longer horizons, based primarily on ...

BACKGROUND The present study aimed to provide better insight on methodological issues related to time preference studies, and to estimate private and social discount rates, using a rigorous systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS We searched PubMed, EMBASE and Proquest databases in June 2013. All studies had estimated private and social time preference rates for health outcomes through s...

The colonies of certain species of ants, for example Pogonomyrmex barbatus, exhibit changes in behaviour as the colonies grow older, despite nearly all of the individual ants being replaced each year [1]. The behaviour of older colonies is more stable, and they are more likely to avoid intraspecific conflict [2]. Gordon hypothesised that the reason for this is that a 3-4 year old colony is in t...