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Student Networks and Long-Run Educational Outcomes: The Strength of Strong Ties

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  • Zenou, Yves
  • Patacchini, Eleonora
  • Rainone, Edoardo

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate and understand the effect of high-school friends on years of schooling. We develop a simple network model where students first choose their friends and then decide how much effort they put in education. The empirical salience of the model is tested using the four waves of the AddHealth data by looking at the impact of school peers nominated in the first two waves in 1994-1995 and in 1995-1996 on the educational outcome of teenagers reported in the fourth wave in 2007-2008 (when adult). We find that there are strong and persistent peer effects in education but peers tend to be influential only when they are strong ties (friends in both wave I and II) and not when they are weak ties (friend in one wave only). We also find that this is not true in the short run since both weak and strong ties tend to influence current grades.

Suggested Citation

  • Zenou, Yves & Patacchini, Eleonora & Rainone, Edoardo, 2012. "Student Networks and Long-Run Educational Outcomes: The Strength of Strong Ties," CEPR Discussion Papers 9149, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:9149
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    Cited by:

    1. Elsner, Benjamin & Isphording, Ingo, 2015. "Big Fishes in Small Ponds: Ability Rank and Human Capital Investment," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 112928, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    2. Benjamin Elsner & Ingo E. Isphording, 2017. "A Big Fish in a Small Pond: Ability Rank and Human Capital Investment," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 35(3), pages 787-828.
    3. Lin, Xu & Weinberg, Bruce A., 2014. "Unrequited friendship? How reciprocity mediates adolescent peer effects," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 144-153.
    4. Effrosyni Adamopoulou & Ezgi Kaya, 2018. "Young Adults Living with their Parents and the Influence of Peers," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 80(3), pages 689-713, June.
    5. Lawrence E. Blume & William A. Brock & Steven N. Durlauf & Rajshri Jayaraman, 2015. "Linear Social Interactions Models," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 123(2), pages 444-496.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Education; Long-term effects; Peer effects; Social Networks;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C21 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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