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The Lorenz curve as an archetype: A historico-epistemological study

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  • Laurent Derobert
  • Guillaume Thieriot

Abstract

In 1905, Max O. Lorenz suggested a simple method of measuring the concentration of wealth, based on the visual representation of income distribution. The Lorenz curve is now very popular and can be considered as canonical. However, the path leading from Lorenz's original work to contemporary interpretations of his graph has been anything but simple. We thus propose to trace the origin, the evolution and the various subsequent interpretations of the Lorenz graph. We argue that the original Lorenz curve has been shifted in epistemological status as well as inverted in graphic appearance.

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  • Laurent Derobert & Guillaume Thieriot, 2003. "The Lorenz curve as an archetype: A historico-epistemological study," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(4), pages 573-585.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:eujhet:v:10:y:2003:i:4:p:573-585
    DOI: 10.1080/0967256032000137720
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rothschild, Michael & Stiglitz, Joseph E., 1973. "Some further results on the measurement of inequality," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 6(2), pages 188-204, April.
    2. Warren M. Persons, 1909. "The Variability in the Distribution of Wealth and Income," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 23(3), pages 416-449.
    3. George Garvy, 1952. "Inequality of Income: Causes and Measurement," NBER Chapters, in: Studies in Income and Wealth, Volume 15, pages 25-47, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Derobert, Laurent, 2001. "On the Genesis of the Canonical Labor Supply Model," Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(2), pages 197-215, June.
    5. Dasgupta, Partha & Sen, Amartya & Starrett, David, 1973. "Notes on the measurement of inequality," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 6(2), pages 180-187, April.
    6. Shorrocks, Anthony F, 1983. "Ranking Income Distributions," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 50(197), pages 3-17, February.
    7. Sen, Amartya, 1973. "On Economic Inequality," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198281931.
    8. Atkinson, Anthony B., 1970. "On the measurement of inequality," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 2(3), pages 244-263, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Eric J. Nasution, 2022. "A Simplified Vector Autoregressive Model Application on The Philippine Economic Performance During the Period 1965-2010," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 6(6), pages 252-260, June.
    2. Kleiber, Christian, 2005. "The Lorenz curve in economics and econometrics," Technical Reports 2005,30, Technische Universität Dortmund, Sonderforschungsbereich 475: Komplexitätsreduktion in multivariaten Datenstrukturen.

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