Abstract

Most measures of inequality concern vertical inequality (VI), or inequality among individuals, and are generally confined to a few economic variables such as income, consumption, and sometimes assets. In this arena, Lorenz curves and the Gini coefficient have been extensively and powerfully used as measures of inequality. Much less attention has been paid to measuring inequalities between groups (or horizontal inequalities (HIs)). Although some measures of VI are decomposable into groups, these can be hard to interpret and, moreover, measure the contribution of group inequalities to overall VI rather than group inequality as such. This chapter considers alternative ways of measuring HIs and provides some empirical applications of different measures, showing how far the different measures correlate with one another.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.