Testing Unilateral and Bilateral Link Formation
提出一种检验方法，判断网络数据反映的是实际链接还是链接意愿，以及链接形成是单边还是双边过程，并用坦桑尼亚风险分担调查数据验证，发现双边模型优于单边模型，但数据更宜解释为链接意愿而非实际链接。
The literature has shown that network architecture depends crucially on whether links are formed unilaterally or bilaterally, that is, on whether the consent of both nodes is required for a link to be formed. We propose a test of whether network data is best seen as an actual link or willingness to link and, in the latter case, whether this link is generated by an unilateral or bilateral link formation process. We illustrate this test using survey answers to a risk-sharing question in Tanzania. We find that the bilateral link formation model fits the data better than the unilateral model, but the data are best interpreted as willingness to link rather than an actual link. We then expand the model to include self-censoring and find that models with self-censoring fit the data best.