We propose and test hypotheses about three endogenous mechanisms that may be driving the observed network structure of producers’ markets. We use data that we have collected on collaborative network ties among producers. Estimates of Exponential Random Graphs Models (ERGM) support our hypotheses.

The theory of resource partitioning proposes that competition among generalists in the center of a market can trigger a process of resource release that engenders a proliferation of specialist producers outside the center. Previous research has generally examined the relationship between this...

Previous studies show that producers that span category boundaries exhibit lower fit to category schemas, accumulate less expertise, and elicit negative reactions from both critics and consumers. We propose that the negative reaction to category spanning also depends on another mechanism:...