How Has the Literature on Gini's Index Evolved in the Past 80 Years?

Dalhousie University, Economics Working Paper

41 Pages Posted: 30 Jul 2003

See all articles by Kuan Xu

Kuan Xu

Dalhousie University - Department of Economics

Date Written: April 2003

Abstract

The Gini coefficient or index is perhaps one of the most used indicators of social and economic conditions. From its first proposal in English in 1921 to the present, a large number of papers on the Gini index has been written and published. Going through these papers represents a demanding task. The aim of this survey paper is to help the reader to navigate through the major developments of the literature and to incorporate recent theoretical research results with a particular focus on different formulations and interpretations of the Gini index, its social welfare implication, and source and subgroup decomposition.

Keywords: Gini coefficient or index, Gini mean differences, social welfare, decomposition

JEL Classification: B400, I300

Suggested Citation

Xu, Kuan, How Has the Literature on Gini's Index Evolved in the Past 80 Years? (April 2003). Dalhousie University, Economics Working Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=423200 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.423200

Kuan Xu (Contact Author)

Dalhousie University - Department of Economics ( email )

Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3J5
Canada
902-494-6995 (Phone)
902-494-6917 (Fax)

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