Econometric Models of Network Formation

This article provides a selective review of the recent literature on econometric models of network formation. I start with a brief exposition on basic concepts and tools for the statistical description of networks; then I offer a review of dyadic models, focusing on statistical models on pairs of nodes, and I describe several developments of interest to the econometrics literature. I also present a discussion of nondyadic models in which link formation might be influenced by the presence or absence of additional links, which themselves are subject to similar influences. This argument is related to the statistical literature on conditionally specified models and the econometrics of game theoretical models. I close with a (nonexhaustive) discussion of potential areas for further development.