Desperately Seeking Small Worlds in Corporate Boards: International Evidence from Listed Firms

E-print/Working paper (2015)

Imitation and Efficient Contagion

in Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization (2014), 100

Fits and Misfits: Technological Matching and R&D Networks

in Burger-Helmchen, Thierry (Ed.) The Economics of Creativity: Ideas, Firms and Markets (2013)

The Small World of Corporate Boards: International Evidence from Listed Firms

Scientific Conference (2012, August)

Prescriptions for Network Strategy: Does Evidence in Cross-Section Effects Support Them?

Scientific Conference (2011)

Knowledge Portfolios and the Organization of Innovation Networks

in Academy of Management Review (2009), 34

If the Alliance fits...: Innovation and Network Dynamics

in Advances in Strategic Management (2008), 25

Merit, Approbation and the Evolution of Social Structure

in Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization (2007), 64(3-4), 295-315

In this paper we study a society in which individuals gain utility from income and from social approbation. Income is correlated with class. Approbation is given to an unobservable trait, which must be ... [more ▼]

In this paper we study a society in which individuals gain utility from income and from social approbation. Income is correlated with class. Approbation is given to an unobservable trait, which must be signalled through the agent’s social mobility, i.e. class change. Mobility is driven by a simple mechanism involving inheritance, effort and ability. Thus social structure (class composition) is affected by individuals’ quest for approbation, and we study how that affects the emergence and multiplicity of long run social organizations, including hybrid forms of dynasties and meritocracies. Specifically we observe that even though social mobility is driven purely by a meritocratic mechanism, pure dynasties can emerge. We then introduce a feedback between the size of the upper class and its income value, so that effort levels and social structure are jointly endogenous. We derive results on equilibrium effort levels and stationary (when they exist) social structures. Social organization can converge to a unique steady state, multiple long run equilibria or cycles. [less ▲]

Bilateral Collaboration and the Emergence of Networks

in Management Science (2007), 53(7), 1051-1067

In this paper, we model the formation of innovation networks as they emerge from bilateral decisions. In contrast to much of the literature, here firms only consider knowledge production, and not network ... [more ▼]

In this paper, we model the formation of innovation networks as they emerge from bilateral decisions. In contrast to much of the literature, here firms only consider knowledge production, and not network issues, when deciding on partners. Thus, we focus attention on the effects of the knowledge and information regime on network formation. The effectiveness of a bilateral collaboration is determined by cognitive, relational, and structural embeddedness. Innovation results from the recombination of knowledge held by the partners to the collaboration, and its success is determined in part by the extent to which firms’ knowledge complement each other. Previous collaborations (relational embeddedness) increase the probability of a successful collaboration, as does information gained from common third parties (structural embeddedness). Repeated alliance formation creates a network. Two features are central to the innovation process: how firms pool their knowledge resources, and how firms derive information about potential partners. When innovation is decomposable into separate subtasks, networks tend to be dense; when structural embeddedness is important, networks become cliquish. For some regions in this parameter space, small worlds emerge. Key Words: networks; innovation; knowledge; collaborative R&D; embeddedness [less ▲]

Network Formation, Innovation and the Use of Information Technologies

in Soete, Luc; Ter Weel, Bas (Eds.) The Economics of the Digital Society (2005)