IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/unm/umamer/2004010.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

On the creation of networks and knowledge

Author

Listed:
  • Cowan, Robin
  • Jonard, Nicolas
  • Zimmermann, J-B

    (MERIT)

Abstract

This paper examines the evolution of networks when innovation takes place as a result of agents bringing together their knowledge endowments. Agents freely form pairs creating a globally stable matching. paired agents combine their existing knowledge to create new knowledge. We study the properties of the dynamic network formed by these interactions, and the resultant knowledge dynamics. Each agent carries an amount of knowledge of a certain type, and the innovative output of a pair is a function of the partners'' endowments and types. We find evidence that the pattern of substitution between quantity and type of knowledge in the innovation function is vital in determining the growth of knowledge, the emergence of expertise and the stability of a number of network structures. Network structure itself exhibits a phase change when the relative importance of diversity compared to quantity increases beyond a threshold value.

Suggested Citation

  • Cowan, Robin & Jonard, Nicolas & Zimmermann, J-B, 2004. "On the creation of networks and knowledge," Research Memorandum 010, Maastricht University, Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    • Handle: RePEc:unm:umamer:2004010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://unu-merit.nl/publications/rmpdf/2004/rm2004-010.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. R. Cowan & N. Jonard & J. -B. Zimmermann, 2007. "Evolving networks of inventors," Springer Books, in: Uwe Cantner & Franco Malerba (ed.), Innovation, Industrial Dynamics and Structural Transformation, pages 129-148, Springer.
    2. Yang, Guang-Yong & Hu, Zhao-Long & Liu, Jian-Guo, 2015. "Knowledge diffusion in the collaboration hypernetwork," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 419(C), pages 429-436.
    3. Tur, Elena M. & Azagra-Caro, Joaquín M., 2018. "The coevolution of endogenous knowledge networks and knowledge creation," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 424-434.
    4. Lorenzo Cassi & Lorenzo Zirulia, 2008. "The opportunity cost of social relations: On the effectiveness of small worlds," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 77-101, February.
    5. Erbes, Analía & Tacsir, Ezequiel & Yoguel, Gabriel, 2008. "Endogenous competences and linkages development," MPRA Paper 20434, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Cowan, Robin, 2004. "Network models of innovation and knowledge diffusion," Research Memorandum 016, Maastricht University, Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    7. Jian-Guo Liu & Guang-Yong Yang & Zhao-Long Hu, 2014. "A Knowledge Generation Model via the Hypernetwork," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(3), pages 1-8, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    economics of technology ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:unm:umamer:2004010. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Leonne Portz (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/meritnl.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.