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Inequity Aversion, Welfare Measurement and the Gini Index

Author

Listed:
  • Ulrich Schmidt
  • Philipp Christoph Wichardt
Abstract
Over the last decades, research in behavioural economics has demonstrated that individual welfare (utility), as relevant for economic decision making, depends not only on absolut but also on distributional aspects. Moreover, evidence is gathering that something similar holds for aggregate welfare, i.e. that GDP alone is an insufficient predictor for various supposedly welfare related variables on a societal level. This note shows that distributional concerns on an aggregate level can indeed be derived from distributional concerns on an individual level: integrating individual inequity aversion into a utilitarian social welfare function yields a simple welfare measure which comprises both GDP and income inequality as measured by the Gini index.

Suggested Citation

  • Ulrich Schmidt & Philipp Christoph Wichardt, 2018. "Inequity Aversion, Welfare Measurement and the Gini Index," CESifo Working Paper Series 7029, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_7029
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Ravallion, Martin & Chen, Shaohua, 2022. "Fleshing out the olive? Observations on income polarization in China since 1981," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    3. Aronsson, Thomas & Johansson-Stenman, Olof, 2023. "Optimal Taxation and Other-Regarding Preferences," Working Papers in Economics 837, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    4. Baurin, Arno & Hindriks, Jean, 2023. "Intergenerational consequences of gradual pension reforms," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    5. Flaviana Palmisano, 2024. "Compassion and envy in distributional comparisons," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 96(1), pages 153-184, February.
    6. Baurin, Arno & Hindriks, Jean, 2022. "Intergenerational consequences of pension reforms: Tension between democracy and equality," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2022008, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    7. Paul Koster, 2023. "Urban income inequality and social welfare," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 23-009/VIII, Tinbergen Institute.
    8. Morten Nyborg Støstad & Frank Cowell, 2021. "Inequality as an Externality: Consequences for Tax Design," Working Papers halshs-03495989, HAL.
    9. Eichenseer, Michael & Moser, Johannes, 2018. "Leadership in a Dynamic Public Goods Game: An Experimental Study," VfS Annual Conference 2018 (Freiburg, Breisgau): Digital Economy 181599, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gini index; inequality; welfare;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D01 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement

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