An extension of a measure of polarization, with an application to the income distribution of five OECD countries

Joan Esteban, Carlos Gradín, Debraj Ray

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    We introduce an extension of the Esteban and Ray [Econometrica, 62:819-851 1994] measure of polarization that can be applied to density functions. As a by-product we also derive the Wolfson [Am. Econ. Rev., 84:353-358 1994] measure as a special case. This derivation has the virtue of casting both measures in the context of a (statistically) unified framework. We study the polarization of the distribution of household income for five OECD countries (LIS database): US, UK, Canada, Germany and Sweden.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)1-19
    Number of pages19
    JournalJournal of Economic Inequality
    Volume5
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Apr 2007

    Keywords

    • Income distribution
    • Inequality
    • Polarization

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Economics, Econometrics and Finance
    • Sociology and Political Science
    • Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

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