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Peers and network growth: Evidence from a natural experiment

Publication ,  Journal Article
Hasan, S; Bagde, S
Published in: Management Science
October 1, 2015

Much research suggests that social networks affect individual and organizational success. However, a strong assumption underlying this research is that network structure is not reducible to the individual attributes of social actors. In this article, we test this assumption by examining whether interacting with random peers causes exogenous growth of a person's network. Using three years of network data for students at an Indian college, we evaluate the effect of peers on network growth. We find strong evidence that interacting with random, but well-connected, roommates causes significant growth of a focal student's network. Further, we find that this growth also implies an increase in how close an actor moves to a network's center and whether that actor is likely to serve as a network bridge. Fundamentally, our results demonstrate that exogenous factors beyond individual agency-i.e., random peers-can shape network structure. Our results also provide a useful model for causally identifying the determinants of network structure and dynamics.

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Published In

Management Science

DOI

EISSN

1526-5501

ISSN

0025-1909

Publication Date

October 1, 2015

Volume

61

Issue

10

Start / End Page

2536 / 2547

Related Subject Headings

  • Operations Research
  • 46 Information and computing sciences
  • 38 Economics
  • 35 Commerce, management, tourism and services
  • 15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
  • 08 Information and Computing Sciences
 

Citation

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Hasan, S., & Bagde, S. (2015). Peers and network growth: Evidence from a natural experiment. Management Science, 61(10), 2536–2547. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.2109
Hasan, S., and S. Bagde. “Peers and network growth: Evidence from a natural experiment.” Management Science 61, no. 10 (October 1, 2015): 2536–47. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.2109.
Hasan S, Bagde S. Peers and network growth: Evidence from a natural experiment. Management Science. 2015 Oct 1;61(10):2536–47.
Hasan, S., and S. Bagde. “Peers and network growth: Evidence from a natural experiment.” Management Science, vol. 61, no. 10, Oct. 2015, pp. 2536–47. Scopus, doi:10.1287/mnsc.2014.2109.
Hasan S, Bagde S. Peers and network growth: Evidence from a natural experiment. Management Science. 2015 Oct 1;61(10):2536–2547.

Published In

Management Science

DOI

EISSN

1526-5501

ISSN

0025-1909

Publication Date

October 1, 2015

Volume

61

Issue

10

Start / End Page

2536 / 2547

Related Subject Headings

  • Operations Research
  • 46 Information and computing sciences
  • 38 Economics
  • 35 Commerce, management, tourism and services
  • 15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
  • 08 Information and Computing Sciences