Economics and Computation

This course covers the interplay between economic thinking and computational thinking as it relates to electronic commerce, social networks, collective intelligence, and networked systems. Topics covered include game theory, peer production, reputation and recommender systems, prediction markets, crowd sourcing, network influence and dynamics, auctions and mechanisms, privacy and security, matching and allocation problems, computational social choice, and behavioral game theory. Emphasis is on core methodologies, with students engaged in theoretical, computational, and empirical exercises. The recorded lectures are from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences course Computer Science 186. Prerequisites: CSCI E-52, CSCI E-119, and STAT E-50, or the equivalents, with grades of B+ or higher. ECON E-1010 recommended but not required. (4 credits)