Diffusion of innovations in dynamic networks

Abstract

Summary: The evolution of a dynamic social network and the diffusion of an innovation are jointly modelled, dependent on one another, by using an extension of a stochastic actor-oriented model developed by Snijders, which is modified so that the adoption times follow a proportional hazards model. The asymptotic behaviour of the method-of-moments estimator is examined. The model is demonstrated on a data set involving the initiation of cannabis smoking among adolescents, and a simulation study is presented.