IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/arx/papers/2511.15891.html

Heterogeneity in peer effects for binary outcomes

Author

Listed:
  • Mathieu Lambotte

Abstract

I introduce heterogeneity into the analysis of peer effects that arise from conformity, allowing the strength of the taste for conformity to vary across agents' actions. Using a structural model based on a simultaneous network game with incomplete information, I derive conditions for equilibrium uniqueness and for the identification of heterogeneous peer-effect parameters. I also propose specification tests to determine whether the conformity model or the spillover model is consistent with the observed data in the presence of heterogeneous peer effects. Applying the model to data on smoking and alcohol consumption among secondary school students, I show that assuming a homogeneous preference for conformity leads to biased estimates.

Suggested Citation

  • Mathieu Lambotte, 2025. "Heterogeneity in peer effects for binary outcomes," Papers 2511.15891, arXiv.org, revised Nov 2025.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2511.15891
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://arxiv.org/pdf/2511.15891
    File Function: Latest version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Peter Kooreman & Adriaan R. Soetevent, 2007. "A discrete-choice model with social interactions: with an application to high school teen behavior," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(3), pages 599-624.
    2. Lung-fei Lee & Ji Li & Xu Lin, 2014. "Binary Choice Models with Social Network under Heterogeneous Rational Expectations," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 96(3), pages 402-417, July.
    3. Brock, William A. & Durlauf, Steven N., 2007. "Identification of binary choice models with social interactions," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 140(1), pages 52-75, September.
    4. Jose-Alberto Guerra & Myra Mohnen, 2022. "Multinomial Choice with Social Interactions: Occupations in Victorian London," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 104(4), pages 736-747, October.
    5. Azmat, Ghazala & Iriberri, Nagore, 2010. "The importance of relative performance feedback information: Evidence from a natural experiment using high school students," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(7-8), pages 435-452, August.
    6. Ji Li & Lung‐fei Lee, 2009. "Binary choice under social interactions: an empirical study with and without subjective data on expectations," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(2), pages 257-281, March.
    7. Elie Tamer, 2003. "Incomplete Simultaneous Discrete Response Model with Multiple Equilibria," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 70(1), pages 147-165.
    8. Hiroyuki Kasahara & Katsumi Shimotsu, 2012. "Sequential Estimation of Structural Models With a Fixed Point Constraint," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 80(5), pages 2303-2319, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lin, Zhongjian & Tang, Xun & Yu, Ning Neil, 2021. "Uncovering heterogeneous social effects in binary choices," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 222(2), pages 959-973.
    2. Lin, Zhongjian & Hu, Yingyao, 2024. "Binary choice with misclassification and social interactions, with an application to peer effects in attitude," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 238(1).
    3. Jose-Alberto Guerra & Myra Mohnen, 2022. "Multinomial Choice with Social Interactions: Occupations in Victorian London," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 104(4), pages 736-747, October.
    4. Liu, Xiaodong & Zhou, Jiannan, 2017. "A social interaction model with ordered choices," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 86-89.
    5. Steven N. Durlauf & Yannis M. Ioannides, 2010. "Social Interactions," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 2(1), pages 451-478, September.
    6. Brent Glover & Seth Richards-Shubik, 2014. "Contagion in the European Sovereign Debt Crisis," NBER Working Papers 20567, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Chomsisengphet, Souphala & Kiefer, Hua & Liu, Xiaodong, 2018. "Spillover effects in home mortgage defaults: Identifying the power neighbor," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 68-82.
    8. Alex Centeno, 2022. "A Structural Model for Detecting Communities in Networks," Papers 2209.08380, arXiv.org, revised Oct 2022.
    9. Aristide Houndetoungan, 2024. "Count Data Models with Heterogeneous Peer Effects under Rational Expectations," Papers 2405.17290, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2025.
    10. Zhao, Chuanmin & Qu, Xi, 2021. "Peer effects in pension decision-making: evidence from China's new rural pension scheme," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    11. Sadat Reza & Puneet Manchanda & Juin-Kuan Chong, 2021. "Identification and Estimation of Endogenous Peer Effects Using Partial Network Data from Multiple Reference Groups," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(8), pages 5070-5105, August.
    12. Hoshino, Tadao & Yanagi, Takahide, 2023. "Treatment effect models with strategic interaction in treatment decisions," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 236(2).
    13. Yann Bramoullé & Rachel Kranton, 2015. "Games Played on Networks," AMSE Working Papers 1530, Aix-Marseille School of Economics, France.
    14. Alberto Bisin & Andrea Moro & Giorgio Topa, 2011. "The empirical content of models with multiple equilibria in economies with social interactions," Staff Reports 504, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    15. Maxime To & Matthieu Solignac, 2014. "Neighborhood Effect and Labor Market Integration," ERSA conference papers ersa14p1734, European Regional Science Association.
    16. Kline, Brendan, 2015. "Identification of complete information games," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 189(1), pages 117-131.
    17. Yingyao Hu & Zhongjian Lin, 2018. "Misclassification and the hidden silent rivalry," CeMMAP working papers CWP12/18, Centre for Microdata Methods and Practice, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    18. Giorgio Topa & Elizabeth Setren & Meta Brown, 2011. "Do Referrals Lead to Better Matches? Evidence from a Firm's Employee," 2011 Meeting Papers 711, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    19. Liu, Nianqing & Vuong, Quang & Xu, Haiqing, 2017. "Rationalization and identification of binary games with correlated types," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 201(2), pages 249-268.
    20. Kojevnikov, Denis & Song, Kyungchul, 2023. "Econometric inference on a large Bayesian game with heterogeneous beliefs," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 237(1).

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:arx:papers:2511.15891. 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.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with 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: arXiv administrators (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://arxiv.org/ .

    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.