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Two-step Estimation of Network Formation Models with Unobserved Heterogeneities and Strategic Interactions

Shaomin Wu

arXiv 19 Apr 2024 · Econometrics

arXiv:2404.12581 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text

Abstract

In this paper, I characterize the network formation process as a static game of incomplete information, where the latent payoff of forming a link between two individuals depends on the structure of the network, as well as private information on agents' attributes. I allow agents' private unobserved attributes to be correlated with observed attributes through individual fixed effects. Using data from a single large network, I propose a two-step estimator for the model primitives. In the first step, I estimate agents' equilibrium beliefs of other people's choice probabilities. In the second step, I plug in the first-step estimator to the conditional choice probability expression and estimate the model parameters and the unobserved individual fixed effects together using Joint MLE. Assuming that the observed attributes are discrete, I showed that the first step estimator is uniformly consistent with rate $N^{-1/4}$, where $N$ is the total number of linking proposals. I also show that the second-step estimator converges asymptotically to a normal distribution at the same rate.

Citation extraction

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appendix boundary found by appendix_titled_section at “Appendix” · 48% of the source is main text. Read the extracted text to check this.

Most heavily cited references

The works this paper leans on most, across its whole bibliography — not restricted to papers in our corpus. Ranked by composite intensity, which combines how often a work is mentioned, how many sections mention it, and how much of that falls in the main text rather than the appendix.

ReferenceIntensityMentionsSectionsMain text
1Leung (2015) Two-step estimation of network-formation models with incomplete information1.000163100%
2Graham (2017) An econometric model of network formation with degree heterogeneity0.7374275%
3Ridder and Sheng (2022) Two-Step Estimation of a Strategic Network Formation Model with Clustering0.58531100%
4Arellano and Hahn (2007) Understanding bias in nonlinear panel models: Some recent developments0.40511100%
5Hahn and Newey (2004) Jackknife and analytical bias reduction for nonlinear panel models0.40511100%
6Miyauchi (2016) Structural estimation of pairwise stable networks with nonnegative externality0.40511100%
7Sheng (2020) A structural econometric analysis of network formation games through subnetworks0.40511100%

Showing the top 7 of 7 scored citations.