Polaris: Sampling from the Multigraph Configuration Model with Prescribed Color Assortativity

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Preti, Giulia, Riondato, Matteo, Gionis, Aristides, Morales, Gianmarco De Francisci
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2024
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author Preti, Giulia
Riondato, Matteo
Gionis, Aristides
Morales, Gianmarco De Francisci
author_facet Preti, Giulia
Riondato, Matteo
Gionis, Aristides
Morales, Gianmarco De Francisci
contents We introduce Polaris, a network null model for colored multi-graphs that preserves the Joint Color Matrix. Polaris is specifically designed for studying network polarization, where vertices belong to a side in a debate or a partisan group, represented by a vertex color, and relations have different strengths, represented by an integer-valued edge multiplicity. The key feature of Polaris is preserving the Joint Color Matrix (JCM) of the multigraph, which specifies the number of edges connecting vertices of any two given colors. The JCM is the basic property that determines color assortativity, a fundamental aspect in studying homophily and segregation in polarized networks. By using Polaris, network scientists can test whether a phenomenon is entirely explained by the JCM of the observed network or whether other phenomena might be at play. Technically, our null model is an extension of the configuration model: an ensemble of colored multigraphs characterized by the same degree sequence and the same JCM. To sample from this ensemble, we develop a suite of Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithms, collectively named Polaris-*. It includes Polaris-B, an adaptation of a generic Metropolis-Hastings algorithm, and Polaris-C, a faster, specialized algorithm with higher acceptance probabilities. This new null model and the associated algorithms provide a more nuanced toolset for examining polarization in social networks, thus enabling statistically sound conclusions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2409_01363
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Polaris: Sampling from the Multigraph Configuration Model with Prescribed Color Assortativity
Preti, Giulia
Riondato, Matteo
Gionis, Aristides
Morales, Gianmarco De Francisci
Social and Information Networks
We introduce Polaris, a network null model for colored multi-graphs that preserves the Joint Color Matrix. Polaris is specifically designed for studying network polarization, where vertices belong to a side in a debate or a partisan group, represented by a vertex color, and relations have different strengths, represented by an integer-valued edge multiplicity. The key feature of Polaris is preserving the Joint Color Matrix (JCM) of the multigraph, which specifies the number of edges connecting vertices of any two given colors. The JCM is the basic property that determines color assortativity, a fundamental aspect in studying homophily and segregation in polarized networks. By using Polaris, network scientists can test whether a phenomenon is entirely explained by the JCM of the observed network or whether other phenomena might be at play. Technically, our null model is an extension of the configuration model: an ensemble of colored multigraphs characterized by the same degree sequence and the same JCM. To sample from this ensemble, we develop a suite of Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithms, collectively named Polaris-*. It includes Polaris-B, an adaptation of a generic Metropolis-Hastings algorithm, and Polaris-C, a faster, specialized algorithm with higher acceptance probabilities. This new null model and the associated algorithms provide a more nuanced toolset for examining polarization in social networks, thus enabling statistically sound conclusions.
title Polaris: Sampling from the Multigraph Configuration Model with Prescribed Color Assortativity
topic Social and Information Networks
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.01363