1、Governing the Networks of the Information Society. Prospects and limits of policy in a complex technical system 2、Endogenous Network Formation and Informal Institutions in Village Economies 3、Restricting the benefit flow from neighbors: Experiments on network formation 4、Complex Network Phenomena in Telecommunication Systems 5、Contagion and the Emergence of Convention in Small Worlds

Contents.

1、Governing the Networks of the Information Society. Prospects and limits of policy in a complex technical system

Date:2004-11-15

By: Johannes M. Bauer

http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ita:itaman:04_03&r=net

This paper examines the prospects and limits of policies towards information and communications technologies (ICTs). The co-evolution of technological, economic, and political factors that has affected the information network infrastructure during the past three decades has transformed it from a relatively closed to more open system. As a consequence, the degree of complexity of the ICT infrastructure has increased with far-reaching implications for its governance. Paradoxically, policy was better able to control important performance characteristics, such as prices or investment levels, during the past monopoly era. However, the ability to control came at the high price of the inefficiencies associated with monopoly organization. In the present more competitive framework, many feasible policy instruments only work indirectly. Sector performance is an emergent property resulting from decentralized decisions in markets. It is influenced but not fully determined by policy choices. These changes need to be recognized more explicitly in the theoretical foundations, the formation and the implementation of policy. Applying concepts from the theory of complex evolving systems, the paper develops lessons for the design of effective information and communications policy.

Keywords:Information and communication technology, governance, complexity, incomplete information, institutions, feasible policy

2、Endogenous Network Formation and Informal Institutions in Village Economies

Date:2004-11

By: Pramila Krishnan and Emanuela Sciubba

http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cam:camdae:0462&r=net

We propose a theoretical model of endogenous network formation that offers testable predictions for the kinds of network architectures generated by informal institutions in village economies. We test the implications of the model on data from rural Ethiopia, focussing on labour sharing networks. We find that the impact of wealth on connections varies by network architecture and that correcting for endogeneity raises the impact of network membership on outcomes. In contrast to the current literature we emphasise the critical role of both number of links and architecture in determining the impact of social networks on outcomes.

Keywords:Endogenous network formation, rural institutions

JEL:D85 Z13 O12 O17

3、Restricting the benefit flow from neighbors: Experiments on network formation

Date:2004-11-11

By: Berninghaus, Siegfried K. (Universit盲t Karlsruhe) Ott, Marion (Universitaet Karlsruhe) Vogt, Bodo (Universit盲t Magdeburg)

http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:xrs:sfbmaa:04-38&r=net

In an experimental framework on network formation inspired by the two-way information flow model of Bala and Goyal (2000), we observe that many groups participating in the experiment reach the strict Nash network resp. come very close to this network. Compared to the results of previous network experiments this is new. Among other things, the role of inequity aversion in explaining our experimental results is discussed.

4、Complex Network Phenomena in Telecommunication Systems

Date:2004-11-04

By: Laura A. Schintler (George Mason University) Sean P. Gorman (George Mason University) Aura Reggiani (University of Bologna) Roberto Patuelli (George Mason University) Andy Gillespie (University of Newcastle) Peter Nijkamp (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) Jonathan Rutherford (University of Newcastle)

http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:uvatin:20040118&r=net

Many networks such as the Internet have been found to possess scale-free and small-world network properties reflected by so-called power law distributions. Scale-free properties evolve in large complex networks through self-organizing processes and more specifically, preferential attachment. New nodes in a network tend to attach themselves to other vertices that are already well-connected. Because traffic is routed mainly through a few highly connected and concentrated vertices, the diameter of the network is small in comparison to other network structures, and movement through the network is therefore efficient. At the same time, this efficiency feature puts scale-free networks at risk for becoming disconnected or significantly disrupted when super-connected nodes are removed either unintentionally or through a targeted attack or external force. The present paper will examine and compare properties of telecommunications networks for both the United States and Europe. Both types of networks will be examined in terms of their network topology and specifically whether or not they are scale-free networks to be further explored by identifying and plotting power law distributions. Next, economic, political and cultural factors may be used to explain differences in network structures between the United States and Europe. In addition, the paper will identify data and modeling tools that are needed to facilitate further cross-Atlantic comparative studies of communications networks.

Keywords:complex networks; telecommunications; power law distributions; exponential distributions; Europe and US

JEL:L96 D85 C16

5、Contagion and the Emergence of Convention in Small Worlds

Date:2004-10

By: Edward Cartwright

http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ukc:ukcedp:0414&r=net

We model a simple dynamic process in which boundedly rational agents learn through their interactions with others. Of interest is to study the process of contagion where by one action 'spreads throughout the population' and becomes conventional. We vary the network of player interaction between a regular lattice and a random network allowing us to model contagion in small world networks. Through simulation results we highlight the importance of network structure on both the possibility of contagion and the rate of contagion.

Keywords:Best reply; risk dominant; contagion; small world

JEL:C70 C72 C62

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