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The degree measure as utility function over positions in graphs and digraphs

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  • René van den Brink

    (VU - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam [Amsterdam], Tinbergen Institute - Tinbergen Institute)

  • Agnieszka Rusinowska

    (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

Abstract

We explore the possibility to compare positions in different directed and undirected graphs. We assume an agent to have a preference relation over positions in different weighted (directed and undirected) graphs, stating pairwise comparisons between these positions. Ideally, such a preference relation can be expressed by a utility function, where positions are evaluated by their assigned ‘utility'. Extending preference relations over the mixture set containing all lotteries over graph positions, we specify axioms on preferences that allow them to be represented by von Neumann–Morgenstern expected utility functions. For directed graphs, we show that the only vNM expected utility function that satisfies a certain risk neutrality, is the function that assigns to every position in a weighted directed graph the same linear combination of its outdegree and indegree. For undirected graphs, we show that the only vNM expected utility function that satisfies this risk neutrality, is the degree measure that assigns to every position in a weighted graph its degree. In this way, our results provide a utility foundation for degree centrality as a vNM expected utility function. We obtain the results following the utility approach to the Shapley value for cooperative transferable utility games of Roth (1977b), noticing that undirected graphs form a subclass of cooperative games as expressed by Deng and Papadimitriou (1994). For directed graphs, we extend this result to a class of generalized games. Using the relation between cooperative games and networks, we apply our results to some applications in Economics and Operations Research.

Suggested Citation

  • René van den Brink & Agnieszka Rusinowska, 2022. "The degree measure as utility function over positions in graphs and digraphs," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-03513560, HAL.
  • Handle: RePEc:hal:cesptp:hal-03513560
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2021.10.017
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    Cited by:

    1. René Van Den Brink & Agnieszka Rusinowska, 2023. "Degree Centrality, von Neumann-Morgenstern Expected Utility and Externalities in Networks," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 23012, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    2. Robert P. Gilles & Lina Mallozzi, 2023. "Game Theoretic Foundations of the Gately Power Measure for Directed Networks," Games, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-19, September.
    3. René Van Den Brink & Agnieszka Rusinowska, 2023. "Degree Centrality, von Neumann-Morgenstern Expected Utility and Externalities in Networks," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 23012r, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne, revised Jun 2024.
    4. Chen, Claire Y.T. & Sun, Edward W. & Miao, Wanyu & Lin, Yi-Bing, 2024. "Reconciling business analytics with graphically initialized subspace clustering for optimal nonlinear pricing," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 312(3), pages 1086-1107.

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