Epinets presents a new way to think about social networks, which focuses on the knowledge that underlies our social interactions. Guiding readers through the web of beliefs that networked individuals have about each other and probing into what others think, this book illuminates the deeper character and influence of relationships among social network participants.
Drawing on artificial intelligence, the philosophy of language, and epistemic game theory, Moldoveanu and Baum formulate a lexicon and array of conceptual tools that enable readers to explain, predict, and shape the fabric and behavior of social networks. With an innovative and strategically-minded look at the assumptions that enable and clog our networks, this book lays the groundwork for a leap forward in our understanding of human relations.
Price: $30.00
Pages: 200
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Imprint: Stanford Business Books
Publication Date:
01 February 2015
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9780804795289
Format: Paperback
"Epinets is a demanding and brilliant book. It demands and deserves from its audience a very close read . . . Moldoveanu and Baum not only engage in an act of intellectual brokerage between epistemic game theory (and related fields) and network analysis to introduce what they refer to as spinets (networks of agents' beliefs); they also seek - staying with Burt's (2005) theory - to 'seed and catalyze closure' among diverse researchers committed to the epistemic turn in social science that they propose . . . [A] remarkably smart and creative book that is likely to shape the intellectual landscape far into the future. We strongly encourage others to read and especially to use it."—Matthew S Bothner and Henning Piezunka, Administrative Science Quarterly
Mihnea C. Moldoveanu is Director of the Desautels Centre for Integrative Thinking at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, where he is also the Associate Dean of the Full Time MBA Program. He is also the Founder, past CEO, and CTO of Redline Communications, Inc., a leading manufacturer of broadband wireless equipment for commercial and military communications.
Joel A.C. Baum is the George E. Connell Chair in Organizations and Society and Associate Dean, Faculty at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He was a founding co-editor of Strategic Organization and served for over a decade as Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Strategic Management.
1. Introducing Epinets: Why do we need an Epistemic Model of Social Networks?
2. An Epistemic Description Language for Social Interactions and Networks
3. "What Do You Think I Think You Think About It?" Epinets as a Tool for the Study of Network Structure
4. "I Think You Think I Think You're Lying" Trust, Secrecy, Covertness and Authentication in Social Networks
5. "I Know You Think She Thinks I Trust You - But, I Don't" Moves, Tactics, and Strategies Defined and Played on Epinets
6. By Way of Conclusion: "What You May Think We Think We Are Doing Here"
