The Elgar Companion to Information Economics

The Elgar Companion to Information Economics dexterously navigates this interdisciplinary field of research which celebrates the crucial contribution of information to decision making, market dynamics, and economic well-being. Offering a wealth of conceptual analysis, this erudite Companion embarks on an intellectual journey exploring how the fundamentals of information economics explain rapid developments in the information landscape. Featuring contributions from acclaimed international scholars, chapters expertly analyse the role of information for economic processes. From asymmetric information to AI and digital influencers, they examine the latest developments in research and the practical problems raised by recent innovative technologies while discussing important policy implications. Major themes such as information and disinformation, inequality, information asymmetry, innovation, informational influence, payment and value are examined, and special focus is given to the contrast between scarcity and abundance of information. A number of pressing issues in the processing of information are also identified. This authoritative Companion will serve as a fundamental resource for policymakers, economists, sociologists, information scientists, communication scholars, and political scientists. Postgraduate students and academic researchers interested in the economics of innovation, industrial economics, technology and ICT will similarly benefit from this Companion.