Friendship Selection

Javier Rivas

No ECO2007/08, Economics Working Papers from European University Institute

Abstract: We model the formation of friendships as repeated cooperation within a set of heterogeneous players. The model builds around three of the most important facts about friendship: friends help each other, there is reciprocity in the relationship and people usually have few friends. In our results we explain how similarity between people affects the friendship selection. We also characterize when the friendship network won’t depend on the random process by which people meet each other. Finally, we explore how players’ patience influences the length of their friendship relations. Our results match and explain empirical evidence reported in social studies on friendship. For instance, our model explains why troublesome subjects have few friends.

Keywords: Friendship; cooperative game; grim trigger strategy; social networks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C72 C73 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-evo, nep-gth, nep-lab, nep-net and nep-soc
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Journal Article: Friendship selection (2009)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eui:euiwps:eco2007/08

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