Vita e Pensiero

A variety of measures are used to compare income inequalities, many of which have been derived from Lorenz curve. However, classical Gini coefficient and its variations are probably the most commonly used measures of income inequality. They are considered as the best measures by many scientists, but it is also recognized that the choice of age-grouping affects the Gini measures (Formby, et al.1989). Bhattacharya and Mahalanobis (1967) recognized that because income distributions overlap extensively, the effect of age group on inequality is overestimated. Many procedures are available for ordering and ranking income distributions where the ordering is not linear. However, the researchers often are not interested in ordering the populations but selecting the best (or worst) of available populations indicating a lower (or higher) level of disparities in incomes within the population. This paper will discuss the approximation to the sampling distribution of Gini Measure of inequality and selection of a population with most diversity in its constituents as measured by it. Keywords: Selection procedure, Least favorable configuration, probability of correct selection, Gini coefficient.

This paper analyzes inequality of income distribution, looking at consumption expenditure per capita, over the period 1990-2002. Using three-yearspan micro-data set drawn from Susenas, we determine the pattern of distribution, mainly on the basis of Gini coefficient, with Lorenz curve and cumulative frequency distribution for complete description of distribution. Results are compared with Atkinson, Variance of Logarithm and Theil indices. We examine sources of income inequality by decomposing Theil indices into urban and rural components. The main findings are, first, the overall income inequality was increasing both before and after the economic crisis of 1997. Second, urban inequality was higher not only than rural inequality but also than overall inequality. Third, population movement from rural to urban area worked to increase the degree of inequality. Keywords: Decomposition, Indonesia, Inequality, Micro-data.

There are several functional forms of Lorenz curves and corresponding Gini coefficients.

The aim of the paper is to investigate the role of income from selfemployment in accounting for both the level and the change in the overall inequality among the Italian households from 1998 to 2002.

This paper investigates the effects of different events on the probability of escaping poverty in Spain.

In this paper the performance of a new nonparametric test proposed by Borroni and Zenga (2003) for the independence of two criteria is discussed.

This paper develops a technique, based on Q-Q plot, that is useful for the identification of both the model for the size distribution of incomes and the measure of economic inequality.

This paper is a contribution to the analysis of deprivation seen as a multi-dimensional condition.