# Minimizing negative welfare
**URL:** https://forum.dynare.org/t/minimizing-negative-welfare/3416
**Category:** Dynare help (legacy posts)
**Created:** [30 September 2013 16:41 UTC](https://forum.dynare.org/t/minimizing-negative-welfare/3416 "2013-09-30T16:41:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@bpyemba](https://forum.dynare.org/u/bpyemba)
#### Post date: [30 September 2013 16:41 UTC](https://forum.dynare.org/t/minimizing-negative-welfare/3416/1 "2013-09-30T16:41:54Z")
I am getting that message when I am minimizing the negative welfare of the representative agent.
??? Reference to non-existent field ‘eigval’.
Error in ==\> check at 80
eigenvalues\_ = dr.eigval;
Error in ==\> welfare4\_loop\_det at 333
oo\_.dr.eigval = check(M\_,options\_,oo\_);
Error in ==\> cond\_welfare at 30
welfare4\_loop\_det
Error in ==\> fminsearch at 265
x(🙂 = y; f = funfcn(x,varargin{:});
Error in ==\> max\_cond\_welfare at 46
[bigtheta\_star,condwelfare\_star] = fminsearch(‘cond\_welfare’,bigtheta\_start,options);
How can I solve the problem?
Thanks,
Boniface
---
### Author:  [@jpfeifer](https://forum.dynare.org/u/jpfeifer)
#### Post date: [30 September 2013 18:26 UTC](https://forum.dynare.org/t/minimizing-negative-welfare/3416/2 "2013-09-30T18:26:38Z")
Please post a mod-file documenting the issue and state the version of Dynare you are using.
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### Author:  [@bpyemba](https://forum.dynare.org/u/bpyemba)
#### Post date: [30 September 2013 19:03 UTC](https://forum.dynare.org/t/minimizing-negative-welfare/3416/3 "2013-09-30T19:03:06Z")
I am using the version 4.3.3\> Besides, the file is max\_cond\_welfare.
Here is the problem
> > max\_cond\_welfare
Configuring Dynare …
[mex] Generalized QZ.
[mex] Sylvester equation solution.
[mex] Kronecker products.
[mex] Sparse kronecker products.
[mex] Local state space iteration (second order).
[mex] Bytecode evaluation.
[mex] k-order perturbation solver.
[mex] k-order solution simulation.
[mex] Quasi Monte-Carlo sequence (Sobol).
[mex] Markov Switching SBVAR.
Starting Dynare (version 4.3.3).
Starting preprocessing of the model file …
Found 25 equation(s).
Evaluating expressions…done
Computing static model derivatives:
- order 1
Computing dynamic model derivatives:
- order 1
- order 2
Processing outputs …done
Preprocessing completed.
Starting MATLAB/Octave computing.
Total computing time : 0h00m04s
Configuring Dynare …
[mex] Generalized QZ.
[mex] Sylvester equation solution.
[mex] Kronecker products.
[mex] Sparse kronecker products.
[mex] Local state space iteration (second order).
[mex] Bytecode evaluation.
[mex] k-order perturbation solver.
[mex] k-order solution simulation.
[mex] Quasi Monte-Carlo sequence (Sobol).
[mex] Markov Switching SBVAR.
Starting Dynare (version 4.3.3).
Starting preprocessing of the model file …
Found 25 equation(s).
Evaluating expressions…done
Computing static model derivatives:
- order 1
Computing dynamic model derivatives:
- order 1
- order 2
Processing outputs …done
Preprocessing completed.
Starting MATLAB/Octave computing.
Total computing time : 0h00m04s
Total computing time : 0h00m02s
Total computing time : 0h00m02s
Iteration Func-count min f(x) Procedure
0 1 -20.1585
Total computing time : 0h00m01s
Total computing time : 0h00m01s
Total computing time : 0h00m01s
Total computing time : 0h00m01s
Total computing time : 0h00m01s
Total computing time : 0h00m01s
??? Reference to non-existent field ‘eigval’.
Error in ==\> check at 80
eigenvalues\_ = dr.eigval;
Error in ==\> welfare4\_loop\_det at 333
oo\_.dr.eigval = check(M\_,options\_,oo\_);
Error in ==\> cond\_welfare at 30
welfare4\_loop\_det
Error in ==\> fminsearch at 265
x(🙂 = y; f = funfcn(x,varargin{:});
Error in ==\> max\_cond\_welfare at 46
[bigtheta\_star,condwelfare\_star] = fminsearch(‘cond\_welfare’,bigtheta\_start,options);
[boniface.zip](https://forum.dynare.org/uploads/default/original/2X/d/d1e893bbcb628cc766d0f5489bc176330171dd11.zip) (4.75 KB)
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### Author:  [@jpfeifer](https://forum.dynare.org/u/jpfeifer)
#### Post date: [30 September 2013 19:27 UTC](https://forum.dynare.org/t/minimizing-negative-welfare/3416/4 "2013-09-30T19:27:28Z")
Try following the steps outlined here:
[[Loop over parameters](http://forum.dynare.org/t/loop-over-parameters/3335/1))
to program a more efficient loop.
The issue seems to be that you do not allow for stoch\_simul to fail, e.g. due to Blanchard-Kahn violations. In this case, the eigenvalues will not be computed/stored. At the previous link, you will see that
```auto
info=stoch_simul(var_list_)
```
is called. Here, info stores the exit code of stoch\_simul. If it is 0, everything is fine. If info\>0, the solution could not be computed and you need to attach a penalty for this outcome to deal with your optimizer.
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### Author:  [@bpyemba](https://forum.dynare.org/u/bpyemba)
#### Post date: [30 September 2013 20:16 UTC](https://forum.dynare.org/t/minimizing-negative-welfare/3416/5 "2013-09-30T20:16:29Z")
Thanks.
Boniface