The Economics, Concept, and Design of Information Intermediaries: A Theoretic Approach (Paperback, Softcover Repri)

Introduction : Information overload; The aim and procedure of the analysis; The organization of this thesis.- Information : Basic aspects of information; Sources of information; The credibility of information and trust in the information source; Information and market efficiency; Information as an economic commodity.- Intermediation : Basic concepts and functions of intermediaries; Justification of intermediaries; Intermediary contracts and sources of income; Effects of intermediation on markets; Market microstructure.- An economic model of information intermediaries : Introduction; The economic theory of search; Model of an information intermediary; The influence of environmental conditions on the intermediary's strategy; Competition between information intermediaries; Welfare effects through the information intermediary; Extensions to the basic intermediary model; Summary.- Concepts and design of information intermediaries : Information intermediaries; Network-based intermediaries; Network-based information intermediaries; Summary: Economic aspects of network-based information intemediaries.- Conclusion : Summary; Outlook: The future of network-based intermediaries?- References .- Appendices .