In social network analysis, the usual approach is to study single
networks, or the evolution of single networks. However, for
scientific theory development, it is more useful of study populations
of networks. For this purpose, a multilevel approach is proposed to
the study of the evolution of multiple networks. In this approach,
the basic evolution process is assumed to be the same, while
parameter values may differ between different networks.
For the network evolution process, stochastic actor-driven models are
used, of which the parameters are estimated by Markov chain Monte
Carlo methods.
This is applied to the study of effects of delinquent behavior on friendship formation, a question of long standing in criminology. The evolution of friendship is studied empirically in 17 school
classes. It is concluded that there is evidence for an effect of similarity in delinquent behavior on friendship evolution.
presentation Snijders
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