Atkinson Inequality Index Research Articles

An eye on equity: faricimab-driven health equity improvements in diabetic macular oedema using a distributional cost-effectiveness analysis from a UK societal perspective

Background/ObjectivesDiabetic macular oedema (DMO) is a leading cause of blindness in developed countries, with significant disease burden associated with socio-economic deprivation. Distributional cost-effectiveness analysis (DCEA) allows evaluation of health equity impacts of interventions, estimation of how health outcomes and costs are distributed in the population, and assessments of potential trade-offs between health maximisation and equity. We conducted an aggregate DCEA to determine the equity impact of faricimab.MethodsData on health outcomes and costs were derived from a cost-effectiveness model of faricimab compared with ranibizumab, aflibercept and off-label bevacizumab using a societal perspective in the base case and a healthcare payer perspective in scenario analysis. Health gains and health opportunity costs were distributed across socio-economic subgroups. Health and equity impacts, measured using the Atkinson inequality index, were assessed visually on an equity-efficiency impact plane and combined into a measure of societal welfare.ResultsAt an opportunity cost threshold of £20,000/quality-adjusted life year (QALY), faricimab displayed an increase in net health benefits against all comparators and was found to improve equity. The equity impact increased the greater the concerns for reducing health inequalities over maximising population health. Using a healthcare payer perspective, faricimab was equity improving in most scenarios.ConclusionsLong-acting therapies with fewer injections, such as faricimab, may reduce costs, improve health outcomes and increase health equity. Extended economic evaluation frameworks capturing additional value elements, such as DCEA, enable a more comprehensive valuation of interventions, which is of relevance to decision-makers, healthcare professionals and patients.

The Increase in the Social Utility of the Geriatric Population Gained from the Human Health Workers during the Pandemic

Objective: It was intended to analyze the change in social utility loss in 2020, when the pandemic showed its first shock, caused by the inter-provincial distribution of health personnel of the elderly compared to 2019 and other indicators based on this (rate of social utility, SHW, IHW, SHW/IHW per thousand elderly people). Method: The method used in the study is the Atkinson inequality index. The data used in the application are for 2019 and 2020 at the NUTS-3 level. Health personnel data were compiled from SSI and data for the elderly population were compiled from TSI. Results: The Atkinson inequality index varied between 0.414 and 0.302 in 2019. The index value fell between 0.292 and 0.206 in 2020. Depending on the index values, while the rate of social utility varied between 69.8% to 58.6% in 2019, it increased to vary between 79.4% to 70.8% in 2020. The rate of social utility loss, on the other hand, while being varied from 41.4% to 30.2% in 2019, decreased to being varied between 20.6% to 29.2% in 2020. Conclusions: The findings show that there is a significant improvement in the social utility of the elderly from the human health workers. This serves as evidence to the situation which shows that the health policies implemented during the pandemic period, unlike many other countries, supported the access of the elderly to health services.

Travel patterns and spatial access in a dockless e-scooter service in Puerto Rico

A case study is presented of a dockless e-scooter rental service (MDES) in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, a city within the understudied Latin American region. MDES trip data were used to examine the spatiotemporal patterns of e-scooter trips in the city, while survey data was collected to explore the characteristics of MDES users and nonusers, as well as the factors that influenced their demand for MDES trips. In addition, this study proposes a network-based approach to evaluate the level of spatial access and equity of dockless micromobility vehicles. Three measures are proposed to quantify spatial access at the level of locations (i.e., network nodes) as a function of the distance of each location to each e-scooter. As illustrated in the MDES case, the measures can be used to examine spatial access at the service area-, zonal-, building-, and point-levels, and to compute spatial access inequality indexes.The survey analysis indicated that female respondents were 1.7 times less likely to use MDES than males and that young populations groups more than two times more likely to be MDES users than the reference population group. The survey analysis also revealed that cost, safety, and built environment concerns were the main barriers to the use of MDES, and that the primary reasons for using the service were parking problems and traffic congestion. Among other things, the spatiotemporal analysis of the MDES trips data shows that 78% of trips started and ended at the city’s main university, that a significant proportion of trips were linked to neighborhoods with a high concentration of university students, and that demand for e-scooter trips dropped drastically when the university was not in session. The analysis of the MDES data revealed marked differences in spatial access within and between zones in the study region. On average, daily Atkinson inequality index values, which were computed using the proposed spatial access indicators, ranged from 0.45 to 0.80, which points to an unequal spatial access to MDES. The paper closes by discussing applications of the proposed methodology for the design of policies aimed at minimizing inequality in spatial access to dockless micromobility services.

Effects on inequality in life expectancy from a social ecology perspective

BackgroundInequality in life expectancy (ILE) is defined as inequality in the distribution of expected span of life-based on data from survival tables estimated using the Atkinson inequality index. ILE can be influenced by socio-ecological indicators including the Gini coefficient, secondary education, output per worker, and old age pension. This study examined the effects on ILE from a social ecology perspective.MethodsThis analysis is based on ILE data from 108 countries obtained from the United Nations Development Programme. Data on socio-ecological indicators were obtained from the United Nations database. The associations between socio-ecological indicators and ILE were assessed using correlation coefficients and multiple regression models.ResultsSignificant correlations were evident between ILE and the following indicators from a socio-ecological perspective: Gini coefficient (GC: r = 0.335, p = 0.001) as an indicator of income inequality, female population with at least some secondary education (FSE: r = − 0.757, p = 0.001), male population with at least some secondary education (MSE: r = − 0.741, p = 0.001), output per worker as a measure of labor productivity (OPW: r = − 0.714, p = 0.001), and number of old age pension recipients (OPR: r = − 0.641, p = 0.001). In multivariate regression, the ILE predictors were higher GC and lower levels of FSE, MSE, OPW, and OPR (R2 = 0.648, p < 0.001).ConclusionsSocio-ecological factors have an important effect on ILE. Policies that address ILE should consider targeted socio-ecological factors, such as the Gini coefficient of income inequality, that give a personal perspective of economic deprivation, attainment of at least a secondary education by both females and males that gives a social environment perspective, output per worker that indicates labor productivity, and the number of old age pension recipients that indicates social security from a public policy perspective.

곡물 교역시장의 불완전 경쟁상태의 정태적 수준 및 동태적 변화에 대한 분석

Both export and import sides of grain trade market are analyzed and compared in terms of the static levels and dynamic trends to make new empirical inference on the imperfect competition degree. Export concentration level is high compared to import concentration level. And such states have been sustained since 2001 until 2014. Unlike public concerns, the concentration level of export side seems to be easing by small degree. However, the grain trade market remains imperfect competitive market. Furthermore, overall imperfective competition condition over 2002-2014 has been worsened compared to 2001 level. It is because the reduction level of imports concentration is higher than that of the export concentration. Gini and Atkinson Inequality Index based on Lorenz Curve are newly utilized to analyze market concentration level, instead of the commonly used concentration ratio.

Inequality in housing affordability: Measurement and estimation

This research proposes and examines a new measure for assessing the state of housing affordability inequality. We employ a large micro-level data set by which we estimate and evaluate the time-varying housing affordability inequality in Israel over the period 1992–2011. Results show that our developed housing affordability inequality Gini coefficient has considerably increased in the past decade. Moreover, controlling for changes in net income inequality and macroeconomic conditions, housing affordability inequality is found to positively correlate with average housing prices (computed in net income terms). Outcomes are robust to the alternative Atkinson inequality index. Furthermore, our method allows for an examination of segmentation in housing affordability. We find that segmentation particularly prevails across household head’s gender, family status, working status, the number of income providers in the household and household geographical residence. Research outcomes may direct policymakers in designing policies aiming to reduce inequality and segmentation in housing affordability.

World Welfare is Rising: Estimation Using Nonparametric Bounds on Welfare Measures

I take a new approach to measuring world inequality and welfare over time by constructing robust bounds for these series instead of imposing parametric assumptions to compute point estimates. I derive sharp bounds on the Atkinson inequality index that are valid for any underlying distribution of income conditional on given fractile shares and the Gini coefficient. While the bounds are too wide to reject the hypothesis that world inequality may have risen, I show that world welfare rose unambiguously between 1970 and 2006. This conclusion is valid for alternative methods of dealing with countries and years with missing surveys, alternative survey harmonization procedures, and alternative GDP series, or if the inequality surveys used systematically underreport the income of the very rich or suffer from nonresponse bias.

The effect of within-group inequality in a conflict against a unitary threat

AbstractA group of agents must defend their individual income from an external threat by pooling their efforts against it. The winner of this confrontation is determined by a contest success function where members’ efforts display a varying degree of complementarity. Individual effort is costly and its cost follows a convex isoelastic function. We investigate how the success of the group in the conflict and its members’ utilities vary with the degree of within-group inequality. We show that there is a natural relationship between the group’s probability of victory and the Atkinson index of inequality. If members’ efforts are complementary or the cost function convex enough, more egalitarianism within the group increases the likelihood of victory against the external threat. The opposite holds when members’ efforts are substitutes and the cost linear enough.

World welfare is rising: Estimation using nonparametric bounds on welfare measures

I take a new approach to measuring world inequality and welfare over time by constructing robust bounds for these series instead of imposing parametric assumptions to compute point estimates. I derive sharp bounds on the Atkinson inequality index that are valid for any underlying distribution of income conditional on given fractile shares and Gini coefficients. While the bounds are too wide to reject the hypothesis that world inequality may have risen, I show that world welfare rose unambiguously between 1970 and 2006. This conclusion is valid for alternative methods of dealing with countries and years with missing surveys, alternative survey harmonization procedures, alternative GDP series, or if the inequality surveys used systematically underreport the income of the very rich, or suffer from nonresponse bias.

A Decomposition of the Atkinson Index through the Shapley Value

This paper studies the economic inequality as a phenomenon resulting from two variables: The variable of responsibility which depends on the agents’ performance in the economy, and the variable of opportunity which is independent of the individuals’ performance in the economy. Identifying the contribution of the inequality of opportunity in the total inequality as the problem to be measured, we propose a decomposition of the Atkinson inequality index, by using one of the central solution concepts of cooperative game theory, called the Shapley value.

Ukrainian

Ukrainian

The Measurement of Social Utility from Academic Staff to the Students in Faculties of Fish & Fisheries in Turkey with Atkinson Inequality Index.

The Measurement of Social Utility from Academic Staff to the Students in Faculties of Fish & Fisheries in Turkey with Atkinson Inequality Index.

Consumer Confidence and Income Inequality

Although the Atkinson Inequality Index is widely used, this paper is the first attempt to empirically estimate the parameter on which that index is based. Forty-five years US income distribution and consumer confidence surveys allow one to estimate this Atkinson parameter of inequality aversion. Consumer confidence appears to have become more sensitive to inequality since 1968. About this time, inequality became somewhat less correlated with unemployment, and more correlated with the US stock market. Because consumer confidence indexes are widely-used in spotting business cycle trends, any added ability to predict changes in confidence is of practical importance.

Distribution of ecological entitlements: Implications for economic security and population movement

The concept of economic and environmental security is explored in a broad sense as a series of necessary entitlements to forest and other resources. Traditional measures of inequality—such as the GINI coefficient or the Atkinson index of inequality which rely on measures of the distribution of formal cash income or wealth—are regarded as flawed to the extent that they do not adequately reflect the value and distribution of access to non-marketed goods and services. An “ecologically-sensitive” Atkinson or GINI index is proposed as a more relevant measure of inequality and of economic and environmental security. To improve security, policies must attempt to improve the value of these indices. An empirical example is provided based on household survey data for 357 households in 24 villages in a rainforest zone of Cameroon. Analyses of data relating to forest use, incomes, and demographics provides insights into the distribution of ecological entitlements across various income groups and into the impacts of these entitlements on economic and environmental security (through measures related to population migration). The empirical analysis demonstrates a number of important conclusions: (a) use of ecologically adjusted indices provides a more complete picture of inequality-inequality in the forest zone is less pervasive than traditional measures would have us believe; (b) traditional forest entitlements contribute positively to reducing inequality and improving security; and (c) income support programs targeted to conventional cash crops (cocoa and coffee) increase inequality and reduce security. The analyses also demonstrate that, when other economic factors have been taken into account, population movement can be a useful indicator of environmental security. An analysis of migration, demographic and income patterns suggests that low population movement in this zone can be construed as an indicator of higher environmental security. The analysis also provides direct evidence that a decline in ecological entitlements increases the probability of migration out of an area.

Inequality and Housing

This paper seeks to provide a measure of housing inequality across the entire household population. Rateable values are used as an informed assessment of the flow of housing services yeilded by a particular dwelling, and the Atkinson inequality index is applied to a data set obtained from the Family Expenditure Surveys of 1968 and 1978. The results indicate that though income inequality has increased over this period, overall housing inequality did not increase. Tenure specific analysis suggests that this is largely the result of inter-tenure moves, and that local Authority housing policy has succeeded in driving a wedge between general economic inequality and inequality in public sector housing.

Decomposition of inequality measures and a comparative analysis

The main objectives of the paper are to decompose Atkinson's measure into within-group and between-group inequality and to compare it with decompositions of inequality measures, like the Gini coefficient, variance of logarithms, Theil's entropy index and the square of the coefficient of variation. Atkinson's inequality index is given an interpretation of mean order β and then it is decomposed for population subgroups. Various other measures are considered for decompositions and a variety of decomposition schemes for Gini coefficient and other measures in the literature is reviewed and commented upon. Empirical analysis using U.S.A. and U.K. data are performed on the basis of income distribution data classified by family size. For various decomposition schemes, contribution to between size-group and within size-group inequalities are compared in percentage terms. Comparisons are also made over time for the years 1964 and 1974 both for U.S.A. and U.K. and the result indicates that within size-group income inequality has declined while between size group and total income inequality shows an increase. Three important properties of Atkinson's inequality index are proved in the appendix.

Statistical interpretation, decomposition and properties of Atkinson's inequality index

The paper contains a statistical interpretation and an interesting decomposition of the inequality index due to Atkinson.