quasiconvex optimization

\begin{align} \min_{x}\quad & f_{0}\qty(x) \\ \textrm{s.t.} \quad & f_{i}\qty(x) \leq 0, i = 1 \dots m\\ &Ax = b \end{align}

Where \(f_{0}\) is quasiconvex, and \(f_{i\geq 1}\) is convex.

solution methods

convex representation of sublevel sets

if \(f_{0}\) is quasiconvex, then there exists a family of functions \(\phi_{t}\) for which:

\begin{equation} f_{0} \leq t \iff \phi_{t}\qty(x) \leq 0 \end{equation}

bisection method for quasiconvex optimization

We can cast all quasiconvex problems into a binary search over \(t\). Solve the following convex feasibility problem:

\begin{equation} \phi_{t}\qty(x) \leq 0; f_{i}\qty(x) \leq 0, i = 1\dots m, Ax = b \end{equation}

if its feasible, then we can say \(t \geq p^{*}\), otherwise \(t \leq p^{*}\) where \(p^{ *}\) is the optimum. So you pick \(t\) by binary searching on feasibility until you get down to certain tolerance.

example

linear-fractional program

`\begin{align} minx\quad & \qty(cTx + d) / \qty(eTx + f)
\textrm{s.t.} \quad & G x ≼ h, Ax = b \end{align}

Von-Neumann Model of the Economy

“allocate activity to maximize growth rate of slowest growing sector.”

\begin{align} \max_{x, x^{+}}\quad & \min \frac{x_{i}^{+}}{x_{i}} \\ \textrm{s.t.} \quad & x^{+} \succeq 0, Bx^{+} \preceq Ax \end{align}

where \(Ax\) is the amount of good produced in the current period \(Ax^{+ }\) is the amount of good consumed in the next period. Where \(x, x^{+} \in \mathbb{R}_{++}^{n}\) is the activity levels of \(n\) economic sectors; this and next period.