p2pecon@berkeley

From file-sharing to mobile ad-hoc networks, community networking to application layer overlays, the peer-to-peer (p2p) networking paradigm promises to revolutionize the way we design, build and use the communications network of tomorrow. The fundamental premise of p2p systems is that individual peers voluntarily contribute resources to the system. However, the inherent tension between individual rationality and collective welfare produces a misalignment of incentives in the grassroots provisioning of p2p services. We combine economic foundations (e.g., from game theory, agency theory, public finance, industrial organization) with the rigors of system design and validation methodologies to design p2p systems that are technically and economically sound.