Hans-Werner Gottinger is Professor of Economics at Kwansei Gakuin University, Kobe-Sanda, Japan and at the Institute of Management Science, the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands.

• Preface 1 Network economics 2 Network size and value 3 Technology adoption in networks 4 Technological racing in network industries 5 Networks and competition 6 Strategic alliances, mergers, and acquisitions 7 Standards, compatibility, market share, competition, and quality 8 Network economies for the Internet: conceptual models 9 Network economies for the Internet: application models 10 Macroeconomics of network industries