Social network growth with assortative mixing

Networks representing social systems display specific features that put them apart from biological and technological ones. In particular, the number of links attached to a node is positively correlated to that of its nearest neighbours. We develop a model that reproduces this feature, starting from microscopical mechanisms of growth. The statistical properties arising from the simulations are in good agreement with those of the real-world social networks of scientists co-authoring papers in condensed matter physics. Moreover, the model highlights the determinant role of correlations in shaping the network's topology. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved