Unintended triadic closure in social networks: The strategic formation of research collaborations between French inventors

Nicolas Carayol, Laurent Bergé, Lorenzo Cassi and Pascale Roux

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2019, vol. 163, issue C, 218-238

Abstract: Observing that most social networks are clustered, the literature often argues that agents are more willing to form links that close triangles. We challenge this idea by proposing a simple model of new collaboration formation that shows why network clustering may arise even though agents do not “like” network closure. We address empirically this question on the longitudinal evolution of the French co-invention network, and find that two inventors are less likely to form a first research collaboration when they have common partners. Our findings further reveal the preferences of inventors towards forming non-redundant connections.

Keywords: Social networks; Link formation; Closure; Patents; Conditional logit; Monte Carlo simulations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D85 O31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Unintended triadic closure in social networks: The strategic formation of research collaborations between French inventors (2019)
Working Paper: Unintended triadic closure in social networks: The strategic formation of research collaborations between French inventors (2019)
Working Paper: Unintended triadic closure in social networks: The strategic formation of research collaborations between French inventors (2019)
Working Paper: Unintended triadic closure in social networks: The strategic formation of research collaborations between French inventors (2017)
Working Paper: Unintended triadic closure in social networks: The strategic formation of research collaborations between French inventors (2017)
Working Paper: Unintended triadic closure in social networks: The strategic formation of research collaborations between French inventors (2014)
Working Paper: Unintended triadic closure in social networks: The strategic formation of research collaborations between French inventors (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:163:y:2019:i:c:p:218-238

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2018.10.009

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