| The problem of core decomposition in networks is fundamental in understanding their structural organization. Core decomposition methods have been applied to different problems and various scientific fields ranging from Social Network Analysis (community detection) to Epidemiology and Disease Spread (identification of core groups where transmission rates are high). This study delves into the causal explanations underlying core decomposition, with ultimate aim to unravel the intricate mechanisms driving the emergence and evolution of cores within networks. The causal explanations are based on the interventional notion of causality as introduced by Halpern and Pearl. Leveraging techniques developed previously by some authors, we pinpoint the causal relationships between network connectivity and core decomposition. To this end, at first we define what a causal explanation is, according to the core decomposition problem. Then, apart from the algorithmic contribution in identifying the causal explanations, we also provide different related experimental results that demonstrate its use. |
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