Abstract
This paper concerns the economic interpretation of developed measures of segregation. The paper includes two main results. First, an axiomatic characterization of commonly used measures of segregation is obtained. Second, conditions on individual preferences are obtained under which such measures are consistent with standard economic criteria of social welfare such as Pareto optimality. The results demonstrate the limits of welfarism by both being unable to incorporate important aspects of segregation and requiring an absence of heterogeneity in preferences within social classes for such an interpretation to be feasible. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: I20, J70, K31, R10.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
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
