An introduction to the use of computational methods to solve problems in economics and finance.

The ability to conceptualize an economic problem verbally, to formulate it as a mathematical model, and then represent the mathematics in software so that the model can be solved on a computer is a crucial skill for economists. Computational Economics contains well-known models--and some brand-new ones--designed to help students move from verbal to mathematical to computational representations in economic modeling. The authors' focus, however, is not just on solving the models, but also on developing the ability to modify them to reflect one's interest and point of view. The result is a book that enables students to be creative in developing models that are relevant to the economic problems of their times. Unlike other computational economics textbooks, this book is organized around economic topics, among them macroeconomics, microeconomics, and finance. The authors employ various software systems--including MATLAB, Mathematica, GAMS, the nonlinear programming solver in Excel, and the database systems in Access--to enable students to use the most advantageous system. The book progresses from relatively simple models to more complex ones, and includes appendices on the ins and outs of running each program. The book is intended for use by advanced undergraduates and professional economists and even, as a first exposure to computational economics, by graduate students. Organized by economic topics Progresses from simple to more complex models Includes instructions on numerous software systems Encourages customization and creativity

Computational Economics: A concise introduction is a comprehensive textbook designed to help students move from the traditional and comparative static analysis of economic models, to a modern and dynamic computational study. The ability to equate an economic problem, to formulate it into a mathematical model and to solve it computationally is becoming a crucial and distinctive competence for most economists. This vital textbook is organized around static and dynamic models, covering both macro and microeconomic topics, exploring the numerical techniques required to solve those models. A key aim of the book is to enable students to develop the ability to modify the models themselves so that, using the MATLAB/Octave codes provided on the book and on the website, students can demonstrate a complete understanding of computational methods. This textbook is innovative, easy to read and highly focused, providing students of economics with the skills needed to understand the essentials of using numerical methods to solve economic problems. It also provides more technical readers with an easy way to cope with economics through modelling and simulation. Later in the book, more elaborate economic models and advanced numerical methods are introduced which will prove valuable to those in more advanced study. This book is ideal for all students of economics, mathematics, computer science and engineering taking classes on Computational or Numerical Economics.

This collection of articles is edited by Hal Varian, Dean of the School of Information Management and Systems, University of California, Berkeley. It provides a high quality and practical selection of contributed articles that impart the expertise of an international contingent of Mathematica users from the economic, financial, investments, quantitative business and operations research communities.

The developments within the computationally and numerically oriented areas of Operations Research, Finance, Statistics and Economics have been significant over the past few decades. Each area has been developing its own computer systems and languages that suit its needs, but there is relatively little cross-fertilization among them yet. This volume contains a collection of invited, peer-reviewed papers that each highlights a particular system, language, model or paradigm from one of the computational disciplines, aimed at researchers and practitioners from the other fields. The 15 papers cover a wide range of relevant topics; Models and Modelling in Operations Research and Economic (Matt Saltzman; Pere Gomis-Porqueras and Alex Haro; Jerome Kruiser; Don Shobrys), novel High-level and Object-Oriented approaches to programming (Jurgen Doornik; Chris Birchenhall; Christopher Baum; Tim Hultberg), through advanced uses of Maple and MATLAB (Des Higham and Peter Kloeden; Ric Herbert, Jerzy Ombach and Jolanta Jarnicka; George Lindfield and John Penny), and applications and solution of Differential Equations in Finance (Peter Honoré and Rolf Poulsen; Jens Hugger; Sasha Cyganowski and Lars GrÃ1⁄4ne). Each article is written from a personal, explorative perspective that invites the reader to discover new approaches to solving old problems. In the longer run it is hoped that this volume will facilitate cross-fertilization among the computational fields.

This textbook connects three vibrant areas at the interface between economics and computer science: algorithmic game theory, computational social choice, and fair division. It thus offers an interdisciplinary treatment of collective decision making from an economic and computational perspective. Part I introduces to algorithmic game theory, focusing on both noncooperative and cooperative game theory. Part II introduces to computational social choice, focusing on both preference aggregation (voting) and judgment aggregation. Part III introduces to fair division, focusing on the division of both a single divisible resource ("cake-cutting") and multiple indivisible and unshareable resources ("multiagent resource allocation"). In all these parts, much weight is given to the algorithmic and complexity-theoretic aspects of problems arising in these areas, and the interconnections between the three parts are of central interest.

The second edition of a rigorous and example-driven introduction to topics in economic dynamics that emphasizes techniques for modeling dynamic systems. This text provides an introduction to the modern theory of economic dynamics, with emphasis on mathematical and computational techniques for modeling dynamic systems. Written to be both rigorous and engaging, the book shows how sound understanding of the underlying theory leads to effective algorithms for solving real-world problems. The material makes extensive use of programming examples to illustrate ideas, bringing to life the abstract concepts in the text. Key topics include algorithms and scientific computing, simulation, Markov models, and dynamic programming. Part I introduces fundamentals and part II covers more advanced material. This second edition has been thoroughly updated, drawing on recent research in the field. New for the second edition: “Programming-language agnostic” presentation using pseudocode. New chapter 1 covering conceptual issues concerning Markov chains such as ergodicity and stability. New focus in chapter 2 on algorithms and techniques for program design and high-performance computing. New focus on household problems rather than optimal growth in material on dynamic programming. Solutions to many exercises, code, and other resources available on a supplementary website.