Spatial and Temporal Heterogeneity in Diffusion

Abstract

Standard models of diffusion assume spatial and temporal homogeneity. This article develops a class of diffusion models that incorporate spatial and temporal heterogeneity by turning to the individual level within an event-history framework. These models permit the analyst to represent social structural relations thought to channel diffusion, and to model decay in the influence of events over time. Heterogeneous diffusion models are applied to a reanalysis of data reported in Coleman, Katz, and Menzel's classic diffusion study. Network centrality and local structures of influence based on cohesive relations and structural equivalence are all shown to channel the diffusion of tetracycline.