  Shannon's channel coding theorem characterizes the maximal rate of
information that can be reliably transmitted over a communication channel when
optimal encoding and decoding strategies are used. In many scenarios, however,
practical considerations such as channel uncertainty and implementation
constraints rule out the use of an optimal decoder. The mismatched decoding
problem addresses such scenarios by considering the case that the decoder
cannot be optimized, but is instead fixed as part of the problem statement.
This problem is not only of direct interest in its own right, but also has
close connections with other long-standing theoretical problems in information
theory. In this monograph, we survey both classical literature and recent
developments on the mismatched decoding problem, with an emphasis on achievable
random-coding rates for memoryless channels. We present two widely-considered
achievable rates known as the generalized mutual information (GMI) and the LM
rate, and overview their derivations and properties. In addition, we survey
several improved rates via multi-user coding techniques, as well as recent
developments and challenges in establishing upper bounds on the mismatch
capacity, and an analogous mismatched encoding problem in rate-distortion
theory. Throughout the monograph, we highlight a variety of applications and
connections with other prominent information theory problems.
