Mathematics and Economics: A Reality Check

Abstract

Economics (and by extension finance) is arguably one of the most mathematical fields of research. However, economists’ choice of math may be inadequate to model the complexity of social institutions.

In a constructive spirit, this note offers some advice on how students could increase their chances of having a successful career in 21st century finance. Practitioners seeking to enhance their skillset may also draw some ideas.

Keywords: Graph theory, topology, discrete math, information theory, signal processing, machine learning, parallel processing, quantum supercomputing, experimental techniques

JEL Classification: G0, G1, G2, G15, G24, E44