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6 - Dynamic Programming and Sequential Decision-Making

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2025

Soroush Saghafian
Affiliation:
Harvard University, Massachusetts
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Summary

In this chapter, the reader learns about the main ideas developed by analytics scientists in problem solving that requires decision-making over time. The reader realizes that various decision-making problems, including those made in everyday life such as which parking spot to take or which job offer to accept, can be addressed using these main ideas. The chapter also illustrates how the same ideas have been used to improve the world around us by citing various examples, including assisting policymakers to gain insights into the impact of different social mobility policies or to find better lockdown policies during a pandemic such as COVID-19.

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