Abstract
We study a finite horizon optimal contracting problem with limited commitment. A risk-neutral principal enters into an insurance contract with a risk-averse agent who receives a stochastic income stream and is unable to make commitment to keep the contract. This problem involves an infinite number of constraints at all times and at each state of the world. Miao and Zhang (2015) have developed a dual approach to the problem by considering a Lagrangian and derived a Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation in an infinite horizon. We consider a similar Lagrangian in a finite horizon, but transform the dual problem into an infinite series of optimal stopping problems. For each optimal stopping problem, we provide an analytic solution by providing an integral equation representation for the free boundary. We provide a verification theorem that the value function of the original principal's problem is the Legender-Fenchel transform of the integral of the value functions of the optimal stopping problems. We show how an optimal contract can be implemented by a pair of accounts.
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