{"title":"A stopping rule for randomly sampling bipartite networks with fixed degree sequences","authors":"Zachary P. Neal","doi":"10.1016/j.socnet.2024.09.001","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Statistical analysis of bipartite networks frequently requires randomly sampling from the set of all bipartite networks with the same degree sequence as an observed network. Trade algorithms offer an efficient way to generate samples of bipartite networks by incrementally ‘trading’ the positions of some of their edges. However, it is difficult to know how many such trades are required to ensure that the sample is random. I propose a stopping rule that focuses on the distance between sampled networks and the observed network, and stops performing trades when this distribution stabilizes. Analyses demonstrate that, for over 650 different degree sequences, using this stopping rule ensures a random sample with a high probability, and that it is practical for use in empirical applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48353,"journal":{"name":"Social Networks","volume":"80 ","pages":"Pages 59-64"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378873324000583/pdfft?md5=22656573e4c61565c180edcf70d10157&pid=1-s2.0-S0378873324000583-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Social Networks","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378873324000583","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ANTHROPOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Statistical analysis of bipartite networks frequently requires randomly sampling from the set of all bipartite networks with the same degree sequence as an observed network. Trade algorithms offer an efficient way to generate samples of bipartite networks by incrementally ‘trading’ the positions of some of their edges. However, it is difficult to know how many such trades are required to ensure that the sample is random. I propose a stopping rule that focuses on the distance between sampled networks and the observed network, and stops performing trades when this distribution stabilizes. Analyses demonstrate that, for over 650 different degree sequences, using this stopping rule ensures a random sample with a high probability, and that it is practical for use in empirical applications.
期刊介绍:
Social Networks is an interdisciplinary and international quarterly. It provides a common forum for representatives of anthropology, sociology, history, social psychology, political science, human geography, biology, economics, communications science and other disciplines who share an interest in the study of the empirical structure of social relations and associations that may be expressed in network form. It publishes both theoretical and substantive papers. Critical reviews of major theoretical or methodological approaches using the notion of networks in the analysis of social behaviour are also included, as are reviews of recent books dealing with social networks and social structure.