Explaining the structure of collaboration networks: from firm-level strategies to global network structure

Johannes van der Pol

Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) from Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA)

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to show how firm-level partner selection strategies impact the structure a of collaboration network. The analysis is performed in three stages. A first stage identifies how partners select their collaborators, a second stage shows how these decisions result in clusters, and a final stage studies the global network structure that emerges from the interconnection of these clusters. In order to highlight the importance of the sectors’ influence, the analysis is performed on the French Aerospace and the French Biotech collaboration networks. Results show that the firm-level strategies are the same in both sectors while the resulting global network structure is different (core-periphery structure with small-world characteristics for the aerospace network and no particular structure for the biotech sector). The difference in the global network structure can be explained by sectorial characteristics. These differences define the manner in which knowledge flows through the network.

Keywords: SNA; Sectoral analysis; Collaboration network; Biotechnology; Aerospace; ERGM; Innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C20 C23 D85 L14 L25 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-ino, nep-knm, nep-net, nep-sbm, nep-tid and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:grt:wpegrt:2018-02

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