gretel

The social network literature features numerous methods for assigning value to paths as a function of their ties. 'gretel' systemizes these approaches, casting them as instances of a generalized path value function indexed by a penalty parameter. The package also calculates probabilistic path value and identifies optimal paths in either value framework. Finally, proximity matrices can be generated in these frameworks that capture high-order connections overlooked in primitive adjacency sociomatrices. Novel methods are described in Buch (2019) . More traditional methods are also implemented, as described in Yang, Knoke (2001) doi:10.1016/S0378-8733(01)00043-0.