Exponential Random Graph Model (ERGM / p*)

The Exponential Random Graph Model (ERGM), also known as the p* model, is a statistical framework for network analysis that models the probability of an observed network as a function of its local structural features — such as reciprocity, triangles, and degree distribution. Developed from the foundational work of Frank and Strauss (1986) and extended into the modern framework by Wasserman and Pattison (1996) and Robins et al. (2007), ERGM is the inferential standard for social network analysis, capable of testing whether observed network structures arise by chance or reflect genuine social processes.