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Estimating Lorenz Curves Using a Dirichlet Distribution

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Author Info
Chotikapanich, D.
Griffiths, W.

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Abstract

The Lorenz curve relates the cumulative proportion of income to the cumulative proportion of population. When a particular functional form of the Lorenz curve is specified it is typically estimated by linear or nonlinear least squares, estimation techniques that have good properties when the error terms are independently and normally distributed. Observations on cumulative proportions are clearly neither independent nor normally distributed. This paper proposes and applies a new methodology that recognises the cumulative proportional nature of the Lorenz curve data by assuming that the income proportions are distributed as a Dirichlet distribution. Five Lorenz-curve specifications are used to demonstrate the technique. Maximum likelihood estimates under the Dirichlet distribution assumption provide better-fitting Lorenz curves than nonlinear least squares and another estimation technique that has appeared in the literature.

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File URL: http://www.economics.unimelb.edu.au/SITE/research/workingpapers/wp00_01/802.pdf
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Paper provided by The University of Melbourne in its series Department of Economics - Working Papers Series with number 802.

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Length: 21 pages
Date of creation: 2001
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Handle: RePEc:mlb:wpaper:802

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Related research
Keywords: Gini coefficient maximum likelihood estimation

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
C43 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Index Numbers and Aggregation
C13 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: General - - - Estimation
D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Newey, Whitney K & West, Kenneth D, 1987. "A Simple, Positive Semi-definite, Heteroskedasticity and Autocorrelation Consistent Covariance Matrix," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 55(3), pages 703-08, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  2. Ryu, Hang K. & Slottje, Daniel J., 1996. "Two flexible functional form approaches for approximating the Lorenz curve," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 72(1-2), pages 251-274. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Kakwani, N C & Podder, N, 1973. "On the Estimation of Lorenz Curves from Grouped Observations," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 14(2), pages 278-92, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Kakwani, Nanak C & Podder, N, 1976. "Efficient Estimation of the Lorenz Curve and Associated Inequality Measures from Grouped Observations," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 44(1), pages 137-48, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Chotikapanich, Duangkamon, 1993. "A comparison of alternative functional forms for the Lorenz curve," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 129-138. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Sarabia, J. -M. & Castillo, Enrique & Slottje, Daniel J., 1999. "An ordered family of Lorenz curves," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 43-60, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. McDonald, James B. & Xu, Yexiao J., 1995. "A generalization of the beta distribution with applications," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 427-428, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Gastwirth, Joseph L, 1972. "The Estimation of the Lorenz Curve and Gini Index," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 54(3), pages 306-16, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Beach, Charles M & Davidson, Russell, 1983. "Distribution-Free Statistical Inference with Lorenz Curves and Income Shares," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 50(4), pages 723-35, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Bishop, John A & Chakraborti, S & Thistle, Paul D, 1989. "Asymptotically Distribution-Free Statistical Inference for Generalized Lorenz Curves," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 71(4), pages 725-27, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. McDonald, James B, 1984. "Some Generalized Functions for the Size Distribution of Income," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(3), pages 647-63, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Datt, Gaurav, 1998. "Computational tools for poverty measurement and analysis," FCND discussion papers 50, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). [Downloadable!]
  15. Shorrocks, Anthony F, 1983. "Ranking Income Distributions," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 50(197), pages 3-17, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  17. Basmann, R. L. & Hayes, K. J. & Slottje, D. J. & Johnson, J. D., 1990. "A general functional form for approximating the Lorenz curve," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 43(1-2), pages 77-90. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  1. Heshmati, Almas, 2004. "Inequalities and Their Measurement," IZA Discussion Papers 1219, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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