Local rewiring algorithms to increase clustering and grow a small world

Many real-world networks have high clustering among vertices: vertices that share neighbors are often also directly connected to each other. A network’s clustering can be a useful indicator of its connectedness and community structure. Algorithms for generating networks with high clustering have been developed, but typically rely on adding or removing edges and nodes, sometimes from a completely empty network. Here, we introduce algorithms that create a highly clustered network by starting with an existing network and rearranging edges, without adding or removing them; these algorithms can preserve other network properties even as the clustering increases. These algorithms rely on local rewiring rules, in which a single edge changes one of its vertices in a way that is guaranteed to increase clustering. This greedy algorithm can be applied iteratively to transform a random network into a form with much higher clustering. Additionally, these algorithms grow the network’s clustering faster than they increase its path length, meaning that network enters a regime of comparatively high clustering and low path length: a small world. These algorithms may be a basis for how real-world networks rearrange themselves organically to achieve or maintain high clustering and small-world structure.