OF THE DISSERTATION Network Formation, Information Acquisition and Social Learning

This paper presents synthetically some recent developments in the theory of coalition and network formation. For this purpose, some major equilibrium concepts recently introduced to model the formation of coalition structures and networks among players are brie‡y reviewed and discussed. A few economic applications are also illustrated to give a ‡avour of the type of predictions such models are ...

.......................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... iii Table of

I survey the recent literature on the formation of networks. I provide definitions of network games, a number of examples of models from the literature, and discuss some of what is known about the (in)compatibility of overall societal welfare with individual incentives to form and sever links. JEL Classification Numbers: A14, C71, C72