Network formation is often characterized by homophily—the tendency that agents connect with others who have similar attributes. However, while most agents are homophilous, others may be heterophilous, namely, aiming to create ties with dissimilar agents. This study finds evidence supporting this hypothesis for the first time in the literature by applying random coefficient models to information-sharing network data for Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). One possible interpretation for this heterophily is that firms can obtain more useful and performance-improving information from those dissimilar—as opposed to similar—to themselves, as suggested by certain social network studies.

中文翻译：

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考虑网络形成行为的异质性：对越南中小企业的应用

网络形成通常以同质性为特征——代理与具有相似属性的其他人联系的趋势。然而，虽然大多数代理是同质的，但其他代理可能是异质的，即旨在与不同的代理建立联系。本研究通过将随机系数模型应用于越南中小企业 (SME) 的信息共享网络数据，首次在文献中找到了支持这一假设的证据。对这种异质性的一种可能解释是，正如某些社交网络研究所表明的那样，公司可以从与其自身不同的（而不是相似的）获得更有用和能提高绩效的信息。