This dissertation studies the impact that a networked society has on economic
behavior in the markets for labor and information. The first chapter examines how former
co-workers, and within that hiring-cohort co-workers, influence where a displaced worker
is hired. The second chapter develops a theory of network formation that implies a
prevalence of starting cohort members in an individuals connections and then tests this
prediction in the context of employee entrepreneurship. Finally, the third chapter studies
a decentralized market for information where bilateral links form the basis of trade and
relates it to the role that intellectual property protection plays in the information age.