Theory and application of a variety of mathematical techniques in economics are presented in this volume. Topics discussed include: martingale methods, stochastic processes, optimal stopping, the modeling of uncertainty using a Wiener process, Ito's Lemma as a tool of stochastic calculus, and basic facts about stochastic differential equations. The notion of stochastic ability and the methods of stochastic control are discussed, and their use in economic theory and finance is illustrated with numerous applications.

The applications covered include: futures, pricing, job search, stochastic capital theory, stochastic economic growth, the rational expectations hypothesis, a stochastic macroeconomic model, competitive firm under price uncertainty, the Black-Scholes option pricing theory, optimum consumption and portfolio rules, demand for index bonds, term structure of interest rates, the market risk adjustment in project valuation, demand for cash balances and an asset pricing model.

This is the first economics work of its kind offering the economist the opportunity to acquire new and important analytical tools. It introduces the reader to three advanced mathematical methods by presenting both their theoretical bases and their applications to a wide range of economic models. The mathematical methods presented are ordinary differential equations, stability techniques and chaotic dynamics. Topics such as existence, continuation of solutions, uniqueness, dependence on initial data and parameters, linear systems, stability of linear systems, two dimensional phase analysis, local and global stability, the stability manifold, stability of optimal control and empirical tests for chaotic dynamics are covered and their use in economic theory is illustrated in numerous applications. These applications include microeconomic dynamics, investment theory, macroeconomic policies, capital theory, business cycles, financial economics and many others. All chapters conclude with two sections on miscellaneous applications and exercises and further remarks and references.