A Field Study on Matching with Network Externalities
Abstract
We study the effects of network externalities within a protocol for matching faculty to offices in a new building. Using web and survey data on faculty's attributes and choices, we identify the different layers of the social network: institutional affiliation, coauthorships, and friendships. We quantify the effects of network externalities on choices and outcomes, disentangle the layers of the networks, and quantify their relative influence. Finally, we assess the protocol used from a welfare perspective. Our study suggests the importance and feasibility of accounting for network externalities in assignment problems and evaluates techniques that can be employed to this end.
Additional Information
© 2012 American Economic Association. Atila Abdulkadiroğlu, Dan Ackerberg, Estelle Cantillon, Allan Collard-Wexler, Jeremy Fox, Guillaume Fréchette, Maggie McConnell, Ariel Pakes, Debraj Ray, and Matt Shum provided helpful conversations and feedback. We thank three anonymous referees for many useful comments and suggestions. Financial support from the National Science Foundation (SES 0963583) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is gratefully acknowledged.Attached Files
Published - aer.102.5.1773.pdf
Supplemental Material - 20090908_app.pdf
Supplemental Material - 20090908_data.zip
Files
Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 35353
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20121108-095203939
- SES 0963583
- NSF
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- Created
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2012-11-08Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-09Created from EPrint's last_modified field