Network Economics

Since the publication of the first edition of Network Economics: A Variational Inequality Approach in 1993, there have been many ad­ vances in both methodological developments, as well as, applications in this field. These have occurred in an environment of an increasingly networked global economy, in which the importance of transportation networks and communication networks is now well-recognized, with net­ works such as knowledge networks, environmental networks, and finan­ cial networks receiving growing attention. This edition adds recent research progress in new and evolving ar­ eas of network economics through common and unifying principles. In addition, it includes dynamic models of traffic, of spatially separated markets, of oligopolistic markets, and of financial markets. In order to expand the range and reach of this material, we have also included a series of problems in an appendix for self-study purposes and for use in the classroom. We note that computational economics has been at the forefront in stimulating the development of mathematical methodologies for the analysis and solution of complex, large-scale problems. The past fifteen years, in particular, have witnessed a dramatic growth of interest in this area. Supported by the increasing availability of data and by advances in computer architectures, the scale and dimensions of problems that can now be handled are unveiling new horizons in both theoretical modeling and policy analysis.