The objective of this course is to understand the impact of information on the economy and society. After having learned basic theory on oligopolistic markets and the economics of (asymmetric) information, this knowledge is applied to analyse markets that are characterized by factors related to information, such as: infrastructure, standardization, compatibility, intellectual property rights and patenting, versioning, switching costs and lock-in, consumptive externalities (network effects), and reputation.

The course consists of an extension of the microeconomics topics that have been discussed in the first year microeconomics course (EBC1011) such as basic game theory, industrial organisation, and issues on asymmetric information. In addition, the theories learned are immediately applied to markets that are characterized by properties that are specific for the information society. In the discussions, next to the economic aspects, also legal and policy aspects will be addressed.

The textbooks for this course are usually:
* Bonnano, G. (2015). Game Theory. Open access textbook.
* Shapiro, C. & Varian, H. (1998). Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy. Harvard Business School Press.
In addition, several academic articles will be studied.

It is expected that the students who take this course have a solid knowledge in microeconomics at the level of having passed the first-year course Microeconomics (EBC1010). It is also expected that the students have prior knowledge of basic calculus and statistics, corresponding to familiarity with the topics covered in Quantitative Methods I (EBC1006) and Quantitative Methods II (EBC1034).