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On a Distance Function-Based Inequality Measure in the Spirit of the Bonferroni and Gini Indices

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  • Sreenivasan Subramanian

Abstract

A natural way of viewing an inequality or a poverty measure is in terms of the vector distance between an actual (empirical) distribution of incomes and some appropriately normative distribution (reflecting a perfectly equal distribution of incomes, or a distribution with the smallest mean that is compatible with a complete absence of poverty). Real analysis offers a number of distance functions to choose from.

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  • Sreenivasan Subramanian, 2012. "On a Distance Function-Based Inequality Measure in the Spirit of the Bonferroni and Gini Indices," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2012-062, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2012-062
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    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/wp2012-062.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kolm, Serge-Christophe, 1976. "Unequal inequalities. I," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 416-442, June.
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    3. Satya Chakravarty, 2007. "A deprivation-based axiomatic characterization of the absolute Bonferroni index of inequality," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 5(3), pages 339-351, December.
    4. Subramanian, S., 2009. "Poverty Measures as Normalized Distance Functions," Indian Economic Review, Department of Economics, Delhi School of Economics, vol. 44(2), pages 171-183.
    5. Sen, Amartya, 1973. "On Economic Inequality," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198281931.
    6. Takayama, Noriyuki, 1979. "Poverty, Income Inequality, and Their Measures: Professor Sen's Axiomatic Approach Reconsidered," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 47(3), pages 747-759, May.
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