Peer Effects and Peer Avoidance: The Diffusion of Behavior in Coevolving Networks

We study the long‐run emergence of behavioral patterns in dynamic complex networks. Individuals can display two kinds of behavior: G (“good”) or B (“bad”). We assume that the exposure of a G agent to bad behavior on the part of peers/neighbors triggers her own switch to B behavior, but only temporarily. We model the implications of such peer effects as an epidemic process in the standard SIS (Susceptible‐Infected‐Susceptible) framework. The key novelty of our model is that, unlike in the received literature, the network is taken to change over time within the same time scale as behavior. Specifically, we posit that links connecting two G agents last longer, reflecting the idea that B agents tend to be avoided. The main concern of the paper is to understand the extent to which such biased network turnover may play a significant role in supporting G behavior in a social system. And indeed we find that network coevolution has nontrivial and interesting effects on long‐run behavior. This yields fresh insights on the role of (endogenous) peer pressure on the diffusion of social behavior and also has some bearing on the traditional study of disease epidemics. (JEL: C71, D83, D85)     

Social Capital and Wages: An Econometric Evaluation of Social Networking's Effects

Abstract. The goal of this paper is to get an econometric evaluation of the effects of the social network's mobilization, as a job search strategy, on wages. We make use of switching regression models to deal simultaneously with an endogenous selection issue in the network's choice and the existence of two different regimes of wage determination. Econometric estimates provide evidence for the existence of a selection effect on the choice of network but, after correcting the selection bias on the wage equations, the effect of social network on wages is negative.     

关系与圈子——中国人工作场域中的圈子现象

中国人长于创业,格兰诺维特认为创业者的一项重要职能就是要平衡耦合与脱耦,也就是关系结构要可紧可疏,关系范围要可伸可缩,这样才能一方面寻找机会,又有足够强的动员能力掌握机会。圈子现象可用于解释为什么中国人长于平衡耦合与脱耦。小圈子往往是一个人动员其人脉中的家人与熟人关系组成的小团体,因为熟人关系是人情交换关系,可以有较大的弹性,同时熟人可以从认识的圈外人发展而来,所以使得圈子的边界不封闭,圈子也因此增加了弹性。这样的弹性使得中国人的个人网关系结构可伸可缩,可紧可密。     

同群效应对创业活动影响的模型构建与实证

本文从社会个体与群体行为互动的视角研究个体的创业活动决策机理,分析认为,个体因受到周围创业者冒险拼搏精神的影响而进行创业,或者通过与周围创业者交往的社会学习得到与创业相关的技术或者经验从而自身也投入创业,二者均使得创业活动具有同群效应。进一步基于中国家庭追踪调查（CFPS）截面数据进行检验的结果显示：（1）个体的创业活动存在显著同群效应,即邻里的创业活动对个体产生了明显的示范作用,带动其投入到创业活动中;（2）信息时代因电视、互联网等媒体传播应用对于传统物理意义上的同群效应存在一定程度的替代。文章采用了工具变量法解决了关联效应和反射性问题对同群效应的估计带来的影响,以确保同群效应的有效识别。上述发现说明,尽管创业活动是市场参与个体的自由选择行为,但各种途径的宣传,包括社区宣传和各种媒体宣传对于推动大众创业有不可或缺的作用。     

Peer Effects in Risk Aversion

We estimate peer effects in risk attitudes in a sample of high school students. Relative risk aversion is elicited from surveys administered at school. Identification of peer effects is based on parents not being able to choose the class within the school of their choice, and on the use of instrumental variables conditional on school‐grade fixed effects. We find a significant and quantitatively large impact of peers’ risk attitudes on a male individual's coefficient of risk aversion. Specifically, a one standard deviation increase in the group's coefficient of risk aversion increases an individual's risk aversion by 43%. Our findings shed light on the origin and stability of risk attitudes and, more generally, on the determinants of economic preferences.     

International Migration Dynamics: The Role of Experience and Social Networks

This paper tests the dynamic implications of cumulative causation and network theory on the self‐sustaining nature of the migration process. A sequential migration model is derived and estimated with a panel of Mexican household heads for the years 1980–89. Consistently with cumulative causation and network theory, the empirical results show that, after controlling for unobserved heterogeneity, previous migration experience and migration‐related variables are the strongest predictors of current migration decisions. This persistence in migration patterns implies that immigration policies inducing small changes in expected costs and benefits of US work fail to prevent entry into, or encourage exit from, the US labor market by experienced migrants. However, large temporary disruptions such as the 1994 Mexican peso devaluation may permanently increase migratory flows by inducing new migrants to enter the US labor market.     

Strategic Learning and the Topology of Social Networks

We consider a group of strategic agents who must each repeatedly take one of two possible actions. They learn which of the two actions is preferable from initial private signals and by observing the actions of their neighbors in a social network. We show that the question of whether or not the agents learn efficiently depends on the topology of the social network. In particular, we identify a geometric “egalitarianism” condition on the social network that guarantees learning in infinite networks, or learning with high probability in large finite networks, in any equilibrium. We also give examples of nonegalitarian networks with equilibria in which learning fails.     

社会网络、资源获取与小企业成长

小企业主社会关系网络是小企业获取外部资源的重要通道.小企业主社会关系越广,则其获取外部资源的可能性就越大,从而企业成长所需资源就越有保证,成长绩效越好.文章对小企业主社会网络、企业资源获取和企业成长绩效三者关系进行了经验检验.研究结果支持了三者之间存在这种递进式的正向关系.同时本研究也发现了与前人研究不同的结论并对此进行了解释.     

地区差距、社会嵌入与异地创业——“过江龙”企业家现象研究

中国经济转型期一个重要的创业现象是伴随着城镇化发展和流动人口增加,很多城市中外来人口的创业活跃度都明显高于本地人口,被称为"过江龙"现象,但现有的文献并不足以对这一现象提供系统的实证证据和满意的理论解析。本研究将创业机会建构和克服外来劣势两方面结合起来,构建了一个流动人口跨地域机会吸引和机会开发的理论框架,以捕捉外来人口创业的动力和制约条件。本文运用中国劳动力动态调查(CLDS)2012~2014年调查数据进行的实证研究显示:外来人口流入地与原户籍地的经济发展水平差距和制度距离均显著提高其异地创业的可能性,而其在流入地社会网络的混合嵌入(本地人网络嵌入和同乡网络嵌入)和个人人力资本都能显著增强上述两方面的主效应。本研究的结果提示了人口流动对于激发创业精神、促进企业家与创业资源之间的供需匹配的深刻意义,以及改善制度环境对于合理配置创业机会的价值。     

基于“布局”理论视角的企业间社会网络结构与复杂适应

对中国一家多元化企业集团20年的发展进行个案跟踪研究,试图理解在竞争环境中,组织如何通过对社会网络结构与机会的"布局"来获益。研究得出,布局是不同于企业战略规划的、关于平衡的行动逻辑。布局的机制表现为平衡紧密网络与松散网络,从网络与机会的共建中实现关系再生产与组织成长,达到对环境的复杂适应。     

Realizing the Need for Rework: From Task Interdependence to Social Networks

Design rework is a core phenomenon in new product development (NPD). Yet carrying out design rework presupposes recognizing the need for it. I characterize the types of interpersonal knowledge transfer that help developers realize the need for design rework in NPD. As predicted by the NPD literature, I find that individuals who interact frequently with colleagues to address their task interdependences are more likely to realize the need for rework. I also learn that interacting with colleagues who have different expertise in process‐related knowledge (as opposed to product‐related knowledge) facilitates realizing the need for rework. However, to develop a deeper understanding of how individuals recognize the need for rework when interacting with others, we must expand our views beyond task interdependence and expertise‐related factors. In particular, organizational variables—both formal and informal—play a significant role. With respect to formal hierarchical structures, actors of superior rank are less likely to realize the need for rework regardless of whether or not their interacting partner is of superior rank; however, actors of superior rank are more likely to trigger realizing the need for rework when interacting with partners of subordinate rank. By examining an organization's informal structure, I discover that the social “embeddedness” of developers (i.e., the energy and attention invested in a dyadic relationship) significantly influences their propensity to realize the need for rework. Several hypotheses are tested in a sociometric study conducted within the development department of a software company, and I discuss the implications for behavioral operations in NPD.     

Multinationals and Skills Policy Networks: HRM as a Player in Economic and Social Concerns

This paper uses an embeddedness framework to reconceptualize HRM agency over the external labour market, and in so doing bring into focus the societal implications of HRM. Drawing on qualitative data from 53 key informants in two English regions, we identify the ways in which the subsidiaries of foreign multinationals (MNCs) engage with labour market skills actors. Our findings reveal how power structures are mobilized by local economic actors to align labour market skills with MNCs’ demand priorities. We show that multinationals may seek to partially endogenize (i.e. take ownership of) the resources of local labour markets when their competitive value is redefined in social as well as economic terms, and demonstrate that the social structure of sub‐national institutional governance arrangements and firm strategic action on skills creates the conduit through which resource endogenization may occur. Theoretically, this paper identifies the social structure of networks as a casual mechanism to bridge divergent skill interests, which is mobilized when network actors have the capacity to frame fields within the social structure of the network around ideas on economic sustainability and moral interest.     

Social Entrepreneurship: An exploratory citation analysis

Research on Social Entrepreneurship became a growing field of interest during the past decades. However, as the heterogeneity of investigated topics is rather large the purpose of this contribution is to provide an overview of the current state of research on Social Entrepreneurship. In doing so previous research is structured to identify major contributions and thereby key discussion lines within this field. Based on a bibliometric citation analysis of 129 core papers and 5,228 cited references, five topic clusters are identified within the field of Social Entrepreneurship: 1) Definitions and conceptual approaches, 2) Impetus, 3) Personality, 4) Impact and performance, and 5) Future research agenda. By reflecting the literature of each discussion line, a framework for the advancement of Social Entrepreneurship research is provided.     

企业家社会网络、组织能力与集群企业成长绩效

通过将社会网络理论和组织能力理论引入集群企业成长研究,以浙江省集群企业为对象,对企业家社会网络是否以及如何通过组织能力影响企业成长绩效进行了实证分析.研究发现:企业家社会网络对组织能力具有正向影响;组织能力的2个维度对集群企业成长绩效均有显著的正向影响;企业家社会网络与集群企业成长绩效正相关,其中,除了关系强度外,达高性和开放性并不对集群企业成长绩效产生直接影响,而是通过组织能力这一中介变量对集群企业成长绩效产生间接影响.     

National Networks of Corporate Power: An Irish Perspective

This paper maps the network of interlocking directorships formed by the boards of the top 50 financial and 200 non-financial companies in Ireland. The Irish network is compared with those in ten countries, based on the same sample size and selection criteria as used in this paper, using the methods and theory of Social Network Analysis (SNA). Fundamental to the paper is the idea that the network of interlocking directorates is in some way structured, and not the result of random processes.Irish boards were found to have a relatively loosely connected network structure which is sparser and less dense than those of other countries. This is reflected in the relatively low percentage of multiple directors and the relatively fewer number of directorships per multiple director.In general, indigenous Irish public companies tended to be central in the network, while a disproportionately large number of foreign and private companies were isolated on the periphery. However, a number of foreign-owned companies were central to the network -- in particular, those which started as indigenous Irish companies which were subsequently taken over.When account is taken of the nature of the Irish economy and business, in comparison with that of the ten other countries, it is seen that the opportunities for company interlinking at board level in Ireland are relatively fewer. However, within these constraints, there is a thriving network of corporate power in Ireland.     

社交网络情境下基于同侪影响的产品线规划研究

依托社交网络优化产品线是实现“匹配消费者需求带动产品设计-制造-营销全流程协调发展”的重要途径,尽管已经引起实业界的重点关注,相应的学术研究却十分匮乏。鉴于此,本文基于同侪影响理论与前景理论,结合社交网络情境下消费者的产品需求、偏好及决策,构建涵盖产品线营销层面和设计层面的双层规划模型;然后结合智能手机产品线实例,运用嵌套灰狼算法对该双层规划模型进行求解验证。本研究旨在提出社交网络与产品线规划之间耦合作用的联合优化框架,为面向社交网络的产品线规划提供理论依据。     

具有边权特性的社会网络重要成员识别

根据成员间关系的强弱给社会网络中各边赋予权重,将二元网络扩展到边权网络,提出一种新的度量指标。该指标通过累加一个成员在网络中成为关键点的次数来度量其删除后给整个网络带来的损害程度,从而判断该成员对维护网络运行绩效的重要性。通过组织沟通网络的实例分析,说明新指标可以从维护网络安全的视角,有效辨识那些虽然结构位置不显著,但对网络安全具有重大隐患的重要成员。     

企业投资决策同伴效应及其特征的实证检验——基于中国上市公司的面板数据

企业投资的同伴效应是指企业的投资行为受到其参照组内同伴投资的影响。为解决识别同伴效应时面临的参照组有效性问题以及企业决策互相影响的联立性问题,本文选择跨区域的同行业企业作为同伴企业,首次构建了同伴企业的同区域跨行业企业的投资均值作为工具变量,基于2008-2015年中国上市公司的面板数据,实证检验了上市企业投资决策的同伴效应。结果表明,中国上市企业投资决策受到跨区域同行业的同伴企业投资显著正向影响,且这种同伴效应在增减变动方向上具有不对称性和乘数效应的基本特征。本文拓展和深化了企业财务决策同伴效应的现有研究,并有助于投资者与监管部门理解同伴效应的放大作用。     

The Organization of Supplier Networks: Effects of Delegation and Intermediation

In a one‐principal two‐agent model with adverse selection and collusion among agents, we show that delegating to one agent the right to subcontract with the other agent always earns lower profit for the principal compared with centralized contracting. Delegation to an intermediary is also not in the principal's interest if the agents supply substitutes. It can be beneficial if the agents produce complements and the intermediary is well informed.