Networks in Economic Theory

Networks help us describe the complex interactions that occur among large populations of distinct
entities. Some have argued that their incorporation into economic models represents a paradigm
change for the ?eld. This course will introduce you to the central questions in current networks
research as well as the tools and methods used to study networks in economic theory. Topics we
will cover include network games and interventions, di?usion processes, network formation, social
learning and opinion dynamics, and networked markets. The course is divided into two halves. The
rst half will consist of lectures on these topics. In the second half, we will read and discuss recent
research papers.