We develop a model of strategic network formation of collaborations to analyze the consequences of an understudied but consequential form of heterogeneity: differences between actors in the form of their production functions. We also address how this interacts with resource heterogeneity, as a way to measure the impact actors have as potential partners on a collaborative project. Some actors (e.g., start-up firms) may exhibit increasing returns to their investment into collaboration projects, while others (e.g., established firms) may face decreasing returns. Our model provides insights into how actor heterogeneity can help explain well-observed collaboration patterns. We show that if there is a direct relation between increasing returns and resources, start-ups exclude mature firms and networks become segregated by types of production function, portraying dominant group architectures. On the other hand, if there is an inverse relation between increasing returns and resources, networks portray core-periphery architectures, where the mature firms form a core and start-ups with low-resources link to them.

中文翻译：

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不平等行为者之间的协作生产网络

我们开发了一个战略性合作网络形成模型，以分析一种未充分研究但必然产生的异质性形式的后果：参与者之间在生产功能形式上的差异。我们还讨论了这如何与资源异质性相互作用，作为衡量参与者作为潜在合作伙伴对合作项目的影响的一种方式。一些参与者（例如，初创公司）可能会在他们对合作项目的投资中表现出不断增加的回报，而其他参与者（例如，已建立的公司）可能会面临回报减少的情况。我们的模型提供了有关参与者异质性如何帮助解释良好观察的协作模式的见解。我们表明，如果收益递增和资源之间存在直接关系，则初创企业会排除成熟公司，并且网络会因生产函数类型而隔离，主导群体架构。另一方面，如果收益递增与资源之间存在反比关系，则网络描绘核心-外围架构，成熟的公司形成核心，资源匮乏的初创企业与它们相连。