14.150
Networks
Highlights common principles that permeate the functioning of diverse technological, economic and social networks. Utilizes three sets of tools for analyzing networks -- random graph models, optimization, and game theory -- to study informational and learning cascades; economic and financial networks; social influence networks; formation of social groups; communication networks and the Internet; consensus and gossiping; spread and control of epidemics; control and use of energy networks; and biological networks. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.
Spring 2022
Topics
- Introduction to social and economic networks
- Random graphs (cont.)
- Diffusion models and the Covid-19 Pandemic - Guest lecture by Sara Ellison
- Strategic aspects of diffusion and cascading behavior (cont.)
- Midterm
- Network effects in markets (cont.)
- Advanced topics in network game theory - Guest lecture by Asuman Ozdaglar
- Social networks, misinformation, and polarization - Guest lecture by James Siderius
Readings
- • David Easley and Jon Kleinberg (EK), Networks, Crowds, and Markets: Reasoning about a Highly Connected World , Cambridge University Press. (An excellent textbook at about the level of our course; we will however go somewhat deeper on some topics.)
- • Matthew Jackson, Social and Economic Networks , Princeton University Press. (An excellent textbook at a somewhat more advanced level.)
- [Jackson] = Matthew Jackson, Social and Economic Networks , Princeton University Press. ISBN: 9780691148205. An excellent textbook at a somewhat more advanced level.
- Reading: [EK] Chapter 1; [Jackson] Chapter 1
- Reading: [EK] Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 13; [Jackson] Chapters 2 and 3
- Reading: [EK] Chapter 14
- Optional Reading: “Production Networks: A Primer,” Carvalho and Tahbaz-Salehi, Annual Review of Economics , 11:635-663, 2019. Note: This reading is a bit too advanced. You can skim it as you wish.
- Reading: [Jackson] Chapter 8.3
- Reading: [Jackson] Chapter 4
- Reading: [EK] Chapter 21; [Jackson] Chapters 7.1-7.2
- Topic: Diffusion models and the Covid-19 Pandemic (g uest lecture by Sara Ellison)
- Reading: “An Economist’s Guide to Epidemiology Models of Infectious Disease,” Ellison et al., Journal of Economic Perspectives , 34(4) 79-104, 2020.
- Reading: [EK] Chapter 19; [Jackson] Chapter 9.6
- Reading: [EK] Chapter 6
- Reading: [EK] Chapter 8
- Reading: [EK] Chapter 17; [Jackson] Section 9.7 and 10.1-10.2
- Reading: [EK] Chapter 10
- Reading: [EK] Chapters 11 and 12; [Jackson] Section 10.3
- Reading: [EK] Chapters 9 and 15
- Reading: [EK] Chapters 22 and 23
- Reading: [EK] Chapter 16; [Jackson] Chapter 8.1-8.2
Prerequisites & course information
Subject meets with 6.3260J, 14.15[J] Prereq: 6.3700 or 14.300 G (Fall) 4-0-8 units
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2022
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.