Networks Webinar - Syngjoo Choi
The Janeway Institute hosts the Networks Webinar Series which is organised by George Charlson, Sanjeev Goyal, Matt Elliott and Akhil Vohra. For the talk on Friday 5th November 2021, 11:00am - 12:00am, Syngjoo Choi (UCL) will be the speaker.
Title:
A Student-Centered Learning Increases the Value of (Indirect) Friendship
Abstract:
This paper evaluates the impact of a student-centered teaching pedagogy program by a local education authority on the value and formation of friendship in 12 middle schools in South Korea. We implemented friendship survey and experimental games measuring the value of friendship before and after the program. Given that the program assignment is close to random and using difference-in-differences strategy, we show that the program increases the value of indirect friendship and alters levels of homophily in gender and class. Relying on the cost-benefit approach of friendship networks, we estimate the costs of friendship formation and establish that the program also lowers linking costs.