Variable elasticity of substituition in a discrete time Solow–Swan growth model with differential saving

Highlights: ► One dimensional piecewise smooth map: border collision bifurcations. ► Numerical simulations: complex dynamics. ► Ves production function in the solow–swan growth model and comparison with the ces production function. - Abstract: We study the dynamics shown by the discrete time neoclassical one-sector growth model with differential savings as in Bohm and Kaas while assuming VES production function in the form given by Revankar . It is shown that the model can exhibit unbounded endogenous growth despite the absence of exogenous technical change and the presence of non-reproducible factors if the elasticity of substitution is greater than one. We then consider parameters range related to non-trivial dynamics (i.e. the elasticity of substitution in less than one and shareholders save more than workers) and we focus on local and global bifurcations causing the transition to more and more complex asymptotic dynamics. In particular, as our map is non-differentiable in a subset of the states space, we show that border collision bifurcations occur. Several numerical simulations support the analysis.