Stochastic network formation and homophily

This is a chapter of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook on the Economics of Networks

Diversity and Popularity in Social Networks

Homophily, the tendency of linked agents to have similar characteristics, is an im- portant feature of social networks. We present a new model of network formation that allows the linking process to depend on individuals types and study the impact of such a bias on the network structure. Our main results fall into three categories: (i) we compare the distributions of intra- and inter-group links in terms of stochastic dominance, (ii) we show how, at the group level, homophily depends on the groups size and the details of the formation process, and (iii) we understand precisely the determinants of local homophily at the individual level. Especially, we ¯nd that popular individuals have more diverse networks. Our results are supported empirically in the AddHealth data looking at networks of social connections between boys and girls.social networks, homophily, AddHealth, diversity, degree distributions

The Economics of Small Worlds

We examine a simple economic model of network formation where agents benefit from indirect relationships. We show that small-world features—short path lengths between nodes together with highly clustered link structures—necessarily emerge for a wide set of parameters

Tributes & Remembrances

From a memorial service held in memory of Charles Price, Professor Emeritus of Art History, at Harkness Chapel, Connecticut College, April 13, 2004. With tributes written by Barbara Zabel, Christopher London, Brian Rogers, Cynthia Willauer, Maureen McCabe and John H. B. Knowlton. Illustrations by Charles Price

Diversity and Popularity in Social Networks

Homophily, the tendency of linked agents to have similar characteristics, is an important feature of social networks. We present a new model of network formation that allows the linking process to depend on individuals types and study the impact of such a bias on the network structure. Our main results fall into three categories: (i) we compare the distributions of intra- and inter-group links in terms of stochastic dominance, (ii) we show how, at the group level, homophily depends on the groups size and the details of the formation process, and (iii) we understand precisely the determinants of local homophily at the individual level. Especially, we find that popular individuals have more diverse networks. Our results are supported empirically in the AddHealth data looking at networks of social connections between boys and girls.Social networks, Network formation, Homophily, Diversity

The Economics of Small Worlds

We examine a simple economic model of network formation where agents benefit from indirect relationships. We show that small-world features - -- short path lengths between nodes together with highly clustered link structures --- necessarily emerge for a wide set of parameters.networks, small worlds

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationWith the present study, I aim to address three major areas that, to date, have been infrequently studied on their own terms, and not at all in conjunction with one another: (1) health and identity, (2) health counseling as a topic of health communication, and (3) the counselor's subjectivity within the counseling context. Extant literature on health counseling posits both counselor and client identities as binary and static and fails to account for, much less endorse or cultivate, the complexity and nuance that characterize the health-counseling situation. I seek to trouble these assumptions and contribute to new ways of thinking about health counseling by focusing this study on an AIDS foundation to assess how counselor and client identities are respectively positioned and how counselors perceive their own and clients' identities, as well as how counselors accomplish particular subjectivities in fluid, dynamic, and complex ways. In order to accomplish this, I utilize a combination of theoretical approaches, including critical, rhetorical, and poststructural, and a range of textual and qualitative methods. This study suggests that not only do counselors perform myriad and multifaceted identities during counseling, even in a context that prescribes rigid positionalities, but that these practices may be a valuable resource for effective health-counseling practices

Application of Minority and Marketability Discounts in Appraisal Actions under Missouri Revised Statutes Section 351.455

Appraisal statutes are available to provide fair compensation to minority shareholders of corporations who are squeezed out against their will. Missouri Revised Statutes Section 351.455. the Missouri statute that provides for appraisal rights in the event of a merger or consolidation, requires corporations to pay dissenting minority shareholders “fair value” for their shares. The Missouri appraisal statute does not define “fair value,” nor does it provide a mathematical formula for determining the value of dissenters’ shares. Rather, Missouri case law has established that courts are to consider all relevant facts and circumstances to determine the value of a dissenter’s shares. A significant question of law is whether minority and marketability discounts should be applied. The various state courts are divided as to the appropriateness of both discounts. Although the Missouri Supreme Court has not yet decided the issues, in Swope v. Seigel-Robert, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit predicted that the Missouri high court would reject both discounts. Although the Eighth Circuit was probably right in rejecting a marketability discount, it may have been wrong in concluding that the Missouri Supreme Court would reject a minority discount