A note on the role of projectivity in likelihood-based inference for random graph models

Abstract: There is widespread confusion about the role of projectivity in likelihood-based inference for random graph models. The confusion is rooted in claims that projectivity, a form of marginalizability, may be necessary for likelihood-based inference and consistency of maximum likelihood estimators. We show that likelihood-based superpopulation inference is not affected by lack of projectivity and that projectivity is not a necessary condition for consistency of maximum likelihood estimators.