Sphere of Influence Centrality via Shapley Values: Empirical Approximation and Network Coverage Analysis

Sphere of Influence Centrality via Shapley Values: Empirical Approximation and Network Coverage Analysis

Source: cs.GT updates on arXiv.org — https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.24121 Date read: 2026-06-24 Connected to: none Escalation: store-only Escalation rationale:

What this is

An empirical evaluation paper applying coalitional game theory (Shapley values) to the classical network centrality problem. The work tests whether Shapley-value-based "sphere of influence" metrics outperform classical centrality measures in selecting m nodes to maximize coverage under three reachability criteria (single-hop, k-hop, multi-path) on real-world networks.

What I took from it

This is a method paper with empirical validation, not a primary theoretical contribution. It operationalizes an existing framework (Michalak et al.'s Shapley-based approach) and benchmarks it against baseline centrality metrics. The relevance to the "new nature" agenda is limited: it confirms that coalitional value assignments can model interdependent node influence better than degree/betweenness, but this is already theoretically expected. The paper does not reveal a mechanism absent from our inventory—it applies known machinery to a known problem.

The empirical scope (Euroroad, Facebook TV shows, [third network incomplete in abstract]) is narrow for generalizing claims about protocolized systems. No discussion of adaptive dynamics, strategic behavior, or how these centrality orderings change under manipulation or evolution—all critical for artificial/protocol systems.

Research connections

• None at present (no established laws or active hypotheses yet defined in context).

Candidate laws or signals

none

STORAGE NOTE: File under "Network centrality → coalitional methods" for reference. Revisit only if future work investigates how Shapley-centrality rankings degrade under adversarial node removal or protocol-driven rewiring.