arXiv Machine Learning By Zhongjun Zhang, Shipra Agrawal, Ilan Lobel, Sean R. Sinclair, Christina Lee Yu

Reinforcement Learning in MDPs with Information-Ordered Policies

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The paper introduces a framework for reinforcement learning in Markov decision processes where policies are ordered by the information they provide, allowing data from one policy to estimate the performance of others. An epoch‑based algorithm is developed for infinite‑horizon average‑cost MDPs with continuous state and action spaces, achieving regret that scales with the width of the policy class’s information order. The authors apply the framework to lost‑sales inventory, dual‑sourcing, and state‑dependent queueing systems, demonstrating improved regret bounds and empirical performance without requiring global convexity or specific arrival‑rate structures.

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