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About
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.
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Reviews
"Moldoveanu and Baum fill a gap in the field of network analysis with their book concerning the epistemic underpinnings of social networks . . . What people's contacts on social networks really know is indeed a tantalizing issue. The authors portray this knowledge about others as a sort of epistemic glue as they delve into the truth of human relationships mediated over networks. The book is surpri
Choice
"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 cataly
Administrative Science Quarterly
"Epinets offers a really exciting new lens for social network analysis, grounded in excellent scholarly work. Joel Baum and Mihnea Moldoveanu's ideas are both intriguing and demanding, yet always presented in clear and accessible language."
Stanford University, Co-author of The Emergence of Organizations and Markets