Intellectual studies at the interface of computer science and economics will establish foundations, enable research, and stimulate the practice of both fields.

In the long term, computer science will expand to be the science of computation broadly, beyond digital computer systems, and economics will expand to include computational principles in its study of economic systems. Many objects of academic study and even academic study itself can be viewed as an economic and computational system, where inputs are mapped to outputs via simple rules that govern simple local optimizations of components in the system. Methods from computer science and methods from economics and game theory need to be combined to understand broadly how outcomes in these systems arise and what are the controls by which these outcomes can be globally optimized. This broadening of economics and computer science will drive the development of new methods for understanding computation and economics, and new methods and understanding for other disciplines.

The short-term goal for the science of computational and economic systems is in providing the foundations for design and analysis of online markets that are transforming society. The services of technology companies like Google, Facebook, eBay, Netflix, Groupon, Amazon, and Uber are mediating the interaction between users who behave strategically. Ideas from game theory, economics, and computer science are fundamental for the proper working of these online markets. Graduates from economics, computer science, and the business school are pursuing careers in varied roles in the technology industries centered around online markets. Research and educational initiatives in CS+Econ will enable these online markets to achieve better outcomes and for the economics and computer science disciplines to better equip students for their careers.