Sanjeev Goyal
Arthur Pigou Professor of Economics, University of Cambridge
Sanjeev Goyal is the Arthur Pigou Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge and Professor of Economics at New York University Abu Dhabi. He is also a Fellow of Christ’s College, a Fellow of the British Academy, Cambridge, a Fellow of the Econometric Society, and a Council Member of the Game Theory Society. He was the Founding Director of the Cambridge-INET Institute 2012-2014, and Chair of the Economics Faculty at Cambridge 2014-2018.
Goyal is best known for his pioneering research on networks. His research in the 1990’s laid the foundations for an economic approach to the study of networks by providing a framework for the study of the effects of social structure on human behavior and by developing a model of how the costs and benefits of linking shape the formation of networks. In subsequent work, he has explored ways in which individuals, firms, and governments can use networks to better attain their objectives.
Using a combination of theoretical models, laboratory experiments and observational data his research helps us better understand the origins of unequal and small world networks; the persistence of diverse opinions and incorrect beliefs; optimal targeting of taxes/subsidies when firms have market power; the defense and design of networks that face threats; the relation between communities, state and markets; the social structure origins of trust; and collaboration and competition among firms and among researchers.
Goyal has lectured widely and enjoys writing. His first book, Connections: An Introduction to the Economics of Networks, was published in 2007 by Princeton University Press. A second book Networks: An Economics Approach was published by MIT Press in April 2023.
His research has appeared in leading journals such as Econometrica, Journal of Political Economy, Review of Economic Studies, American Economic Review, Comparative Political Studies, Symposium on Theory of Computing (STOC), PNAS, and Management Science.
He has mentored over thirty Ph.D. students and post-doctoral fellows, many of whom have carved out leading roles in academia, national governments, international organizations, and top consultancy firms.