Abstract
It is argued that the Pauli master equation can be used to simulate electron transport in very small electronic devices under steady-state conditions. Written in a basis of suitable wavefunctions and with the appropriate open boundary conditions, this equation removes some of the approximations which render the Boltzmann equation unsatisfactory at small length-scales. The main problems consist in describing the interaction of the system with the reservoirs and in assessing the range of validity of the equation: Only devices smaller than the size of the electron wavepackets injected from the contacts can be handled. Two one-dimensional examples solved by a simple Monte Carlo technique are presented.