Optimization Problems Subject to a Budget Constraint with Economies of Scale

Abstract

This paper describes a finite procedure for locating a global minimum of a problem with linear objective constraints except for one nonlinear constraint, which is of the “reverse convex” variety; that is, the direction of the inequality is the opposite of that requited for a convex constraint. Budget constraints in which the cost functions are subject to economies of scale are typically of this form. An illustrative example of the procedure is provided.