A Characterization of Stochastically Stable Networks
CORE Discussion Paper No. 2004/56
21 Pages Posted: 21 Feb 2006
Date Written: July 2004
Abstract
Jackson and Watts [J. of Econ. Theory 71 (2002), 44-74] have examined the dynamic formation and stochastic evolution of networks. We provide a refinement of pairwise stability, p-pairwise stability, which allows us to characterize the stochastically stable networks without requiring the "tree construction" and the computation of resistance that may be quite complex. When a 1/2 -pairwise stable network exists, it is unique and it coincides with the unique stochastically stable network. To solve the inexistence problem of p-pairwise stable networks, we define its set-valued extension with the notion of p-pairwise stable set. The 1/2 -pairwise stable set exists and is unique. Any stochastically stable networks is included in the 1/2 -pairwise stable set. Thus, any network outside the 1/2 -pairwise stable set must be considered as a non-robust network. We also show that the 1/2 -pairwise stable set can contain no pairwise stable network and we provide examples where a set of networks is more "stable" than a pairwise stable network.
Keywords: network formation, pairwise stability, stochastic stability
JEL Classification: C70, D20
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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