Temporal Rich Club Coefficient

Track elite connectivity evolution over time

Measures how well-connected the "elite" nodes (high-degree) are to each other over time.

What It Computes

Coefficient (0 to 1) indicating if high-degree nodes preferentially connect to each other.

When to Use It

  • Core group detection: Find tightly-knit elite clusters
  • Network evolution: Track core formation over time
  • Inequality analysis: Measure concentration of connections

Performance

Time: O(E log V)
Scales to: 10M edges

Example

Interpretation:

  • >0.5: Strong rich club effect (elites connect)
  • ~0: Random connectivity
  • High k: Focus on very connected nodes

Use Cases

Social Networks

Core influencer groups

Financial Networks

Major institutions' interconnectedness

Scientific Collaboration

Elite researcher collaboration patterns

See Also