Customer Reviews

Introduction to Stochastic Programming (Springer Series in Operations Research and Financial Engineering)

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Given that there are not many books in the area of stochastic programming Birge et al have written a book that will be a necessary reference for the time being. The first third of the book does provide a good introduction to the basics of SP but after that a level of formalism dominates that makes one wonder if she is reading from an arcane optimization journal. The later two thirds of the book is really nothing more than an amalgam of results pulled from the literature (journals). As such, little motivation is provided for the major results that are for the most part just juxtaposed on after another. One wonders why such a journalistic style would be used for an introductory text. After all the subject should not be presented as a springer-verlag MATH text in a field like algebraic topology where a theorem-proof format is legimate. Thus, until a better introductory text comes along that blends more of the practical engineering aspects with the theory we must be content with the current state of the art.

Introduction to Stochastic Programming is a must own book for anyone working in OR, IE, MS, etc. As stochasticity becomes more and more important in the field, this book becomes increasingly valuable. "Introduction" is a bit of a stretch. It starts from ground zero of Stochastic Programming, but is very heavy on the math. If you aren't solid with your LP and probability, then a brush up is definately in order. This book is not for the faint of heart. Nevertheless, Birge and Louveaux do an OUTSTANDING job. The examples are clear, easy to follow (assuming you're not math phobic) and very relevant. They go through different formulations of stochastic programms (recourse, chance constrained, etc.). The book discusses formulation, algorithms, and applications. There are not many books out there on Stochastic Programming...and this is really the only one you need to own.

The author is certainly well recognized in the field. However, I found the book a bit difficult to read. I felt the author could have described things in greater detail and depth. That is, he seemingly left a lot for the reader to infer and derive for himself.