Moment-Based Estimation of Stochastic Kronecker Graph Parameters

Abstract Stochastic Kronecker graphs supply a parsimonious model for large sparse real-world graphs. They can specify the distribution of a large random graph using only three or four parameters. Those parameters have, however, proved difficult to choose in specific applications. This article looks at method-of-moments estimators that are computationally much simpler than maximum likelihood. The estimators are fast, and in our examples, they typically yield Kronecker parameters with expected feature counts closer to a given graph than we get from KronFit. The improvement is especially prominent for the number of triangles in the graph.