--- title: "Blockmodeling" output: rmarkdown::html_vignette vignette: > %\VignetteIndexEntry{03 Blockmodeling} %\VignetteEngine{knitr::rmarkdown} %\VignetteEncoding{UTF-8} --- ```{r, include = FALSE} knitr::opts_chunk$set( collapse = TRUE, comment = "#>", message=FALSE, warning=FALSE ) ``` This vignette describes the two implemented methods for blockmodeling in signed networks. ```{r setup} library(igraph) library(signnet) ``` ## Traditional Blockmodeling In signed blockmodeling, the goal is to determine `k` blocks of nodes such that all intra-block edges are positive and inter-block edges are negative. In the example below, we construct a network with a perfect block structure with `sample_islands_signed()`. The network consists of 10 blocks with 10 vertices each, where each block has a density of 1 (of positive edges). The function `signed_blockmodel()` is used to construct the blockmodel. The parameter `k` is the number of desired blocks. `alpha` is a trade-off parameter. The function minimizes $P(C)=\alpha N+(1-\alpha)P$, where $N$ is the total number of negative ties within blocks and $P$ be the total number of positive ties between blocks. ```{r blockmod_ex} g <- sample_islands_signed(10,10,1,20) clu <- signed_blockmodel(g,k = 10,alpha = 0.5) table(clu$membership) clu$criterion ``` The function returns a list with two entries. The block membership of nodes and the value of $P(C)$. The function `ggblock()` can be used to plot the outcome of the blockmodel (`ggplot2` is required). ```{r blockmodel_ex_plot,eval=FALSE} ggblock(g,clu$membership,show_blocks = TRUE) ``` ```{r example, echo=FALSE,out.width = "80%",fig.align='center'} knitr::include_graphics("blockmodel_example.png") ``` If the parameter `annealing` is set to TRUE, simulated annealing is used in the optimization step. This generally leads to better results but longer runtimes. ```{r blockmodel_tribes} data("tribes") set.seed(44) #for reproducibility signed_blockmodel(tribes,k = 3,alpha=0.5,annealing = TRUE) signed_blockmodel(tribes,k = 3,alpha=0.5,annealing = FALSE) ``` ## Generalized Blockmodeling The function `signed_blockmodel()` is only able to provide a blockmodel where the diagonal blocks are positive and off-diagonal blocks are negative. The function `signed_blockmodel_general()` can be used to specify different block structures. In the below example, we construct a network that contains three blocks. Two have positive and one has negative intra-group ties. The inter-group edges are negative between group one and two, and one and three. Between group two and three, all edges are positive. ```{r general_example} g1 <- g2 <- g3 <- graph.full(5) V(g1)$name <- as.character(1:5) V(g2)$name <- as.character(6:10) V(g3)$name <- as.character(11:15) g <- Reduce("%u%",list(g1,g2,g3)) E(g)$sign <- 1 E(g)$sign[1:10] <- -1 g <- add.edges(g,c(rbind(1:5,6:10)),attr = list(sign=-1)) g <- add.edges(g,c(rbind(1:5,11:15)),attr = list(sign=-1)) g <- add.edges(g,c(rbind(11:15,6:10)),attr = list(sign=1)) ``` The parameter `blockmat` is used to specify the desired block structure. ```{r general_blocks} set.seed(424) #for reproducibility blockmat <- matrix(c(1,-1,-1,-1,1,1,-1,1,-1),3,3,byrow = TRUE) blockmat general <- signed_blockmodel_general(g,blockmat,alpha = 0.5) traditional <- signed_blockmodel(g,k = 3,alpha = 0.5,annealing = TRUE) c(general$criterion,traditional$criterion) ``` ```{r general, echo=FALSE,out.width = "90%",fig.align='center'} knitr::include_graphics("blockmodel_general.png") ``` ## References Doreian, Patrick, and Andrej Mrvar. 1996. "A Partitioning Approach to Structural Balance." Social Networks 18 (2): 149–68. Doreian, Patrick, and Andrej Mrvar. 2009. "Partitioning Signed Social Networks." Social Networks 31 (1): 1–11. Doreian, Patrick, and Andrej Mrvar. 2015. "Structural Balance and Signed International Relations." Journal of Social Structure 16: 1.