Dividing a cake (or) Distributional values in the measurement of economic inequality: an expository note
‘Distributional judgments’—judgments on the extent of inequality in the distribution of income and wealth—are routinely made by economists in exercises aimed at comparing inequalities in alternative situations. Yet the measurement of inequality is informed by certain nuances, which it wo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
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Editura ASE Bucuresti
2014-05-01
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| Series: | The Journal of Philosophical Economics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: |
http://jpe.ro/pdf.php?id=6302
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| _version_ | 1818026415873851392 |
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| author | S. Subramanian |
| author_facet | S. Subramanian |
| author_sort | S. Subramanian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ‘Distributional judgments’—judgments on the extent of inequality
in the distribution of income and wealth—are routinely made by economists
in exercises aimed at comparing inequalities in alternative situations. Yet the
measurement of inequality is informed by certain nuances, which it would do well
to be attentive to. In particular, the values underlying measurement protocols are
not always made explicit, which tends to lend a somewhat misleading semblance
of ‘value-neutrality’ to the activity of measurement. It is argued, with specific
reference to the problem of inequality measurement, that such an orientation
can compromise the possibility of accurate diagnosis and appropriate policy
prescription. There is little that is original in this article, and much that is
owed to the pioneering contributions of Serge-Chritophe Kolm. The emphasis
throughout is on explicating an important issue through a deliberate effort at
achieving simplicity in both argument and expression |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T04:31:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d5963103b6d0409fa79f7bba6cee587a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1843-2298 1844-8208 |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T04:31:39Z |
| publishDate | 2014-05-01 |
| publisher | Editura ASE Bucuresti |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal of Philosophical Economics |
| spelling | doaj.art-d5963103b6d0409fa79f7bba6cee587a2022-12-22T02:02:07ZdeuEditura ASE BucurestiThe Journal of Philosophical Economics1843-22981844-82082014-05-01VII2219Dividing a cake (or) Distributional values in the measurement of economic inequality: an expository noteS. Subramanian0 Madras Institute of Development Studies (Chennai, India) ‘Distributional judgments’—judgments on the extent of inequality in the distribution of income and wealth—are routinely made by economists in exercises aimed at comparing inequalities in alternative situations. Yet the measurement of inequality is informed by certain nuances, which it would do well to be attentive to. In particular, the values underlying measurement protocols are not always made explicit, which tends to lend a somewhat misleading semblance of ‘value-neutrality’ to the activity of measurement. It is argued, with specific reference to the problem of inequality measurement, that such an orientation can compromise the possibility of accurate diagnosis and appropriate policy prescription. There is little that is original in this article, and much that is owed to the pioneering contributions of Serge-Chritophe Kolm. The emphasis throughout is on explicating an important issue through a deliberate effort at achieving simplicity in both argument and expression http://jpe.ro/pdf.php?id=6302 relative inequality measureabsolute measurecentrist measureKolm |
| spellingShingle | S. Subramanian Dividing a cake (or) Distributional values in the measurement of economic inequality: an expository note The Journal of Philosophical Economics relative inequality measure absolute measure centrist measure Kolm |
| title | Dividing a cake (or) Distributional values in the measurement of economic inequality: an expository note |
| title_full | Dividing a cake (or) Distributional values in the measurement of economic inequality: an expository note |
| title_fullStr | Dividing a cake (or) Distributional values in the measurement of economic inequality: an expository note |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dividing a cake (or) Distributional values in the measurement of economic inequality: an expository note |
| title_short | Dividing a cake (or) Distributional values in the measurement of economic inequality: an expository note |
| title_sort | dividing a cake or distributional values in the measurement of economic inequality an expository note |
| topic | relative inequality measure absolute measure centrist measure Kolm |
| url |
http://jpe.ro/pdf.php?id=6302
|
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ssubramanian dividingacakeordistributionalvaluesinthemeasurementofeconomicinequalityanexpositorynote |