Network Economics

The second and revised edition of Network Economics: A Variational Inequality Approach provides an updated treatment of network economics through the inclusion of new theoretical results and new applications, as well as problems for self-study purposes and/or for use in the classroom. This volume remains true to the first edition in that it provides a unified treatment of finite-dimensional variational inequalities, algorithms, and applications. Physical networks are pervasive in today's society in the form of transportation networks, telecommunication networks, energy networks, and financial networks, whereas mathematical networks provide a mechanism for studying a plethora of economic equilibrium problems through a common graphic structure. Network Economics establishes the connections among economic equilibrium problems through their network structure and demonstrates how the structure can then be used to address policy interventions, as well as to construct efficient numerical schemes for the computation of equilibria. The network framework provides not only a mechanism for the graphic representation of economic problems and a means for visualizing their similarities and differences, but, in addition, a novel theoretical approach. Problems treated include: congested transportation systems, oligopolistic market equilibrium problems, problems of human migration, and general financial and economic equilibrium problems. New applications covered in this second edition include environmental networks and knowledge networks.