The Gini Index: A Modern Measure of Inequality

Vincent Charles, Tatiana Gherman*, Juan Carlos Paliza

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to Book/ReportChapterpeer-review

Abstract

The Gini index is the most widely accepted inequality measure across the Globe, with almost all governmental and international agencies using it to summarise income or wealth inequality in a nation or the world. Although originally developed to be a standardised measure of statistical dispersion intended to understand income distribution, the Gini index has evolved into quantifying inequity in all kinds of distributions of wealth, gender parity, access to education and health services, and environmental policies, among others. In this work, we present the original Gini index, as well as some of the various existent alternative Gini formulations, while also exploring various traditional and modern applications of the index in different settings, at national and international levels. We further discuss the implications of the traditional Gini index for international diplomacy and policymaking and conclude with some future directions on the topic.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationModern Indices for International Economic Diplomacy
EditorsVincent Charles, Ali Emrouznejad
Place of PublicationCham
PublisherPalgrave Macmilan
Chapter3
Pages55-84
Number of pages30
ISBN (Electronic)978-3-030-84535-3
ISBN (Print)978-3-030-84537-7, 978-3-030-84534-6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Apr 2022

Keywords

  • Gini index
  • Inequality
  • Wealth
  • Income distribution
  • Policymaking

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Gini Index: A Modern Measure of Inequality'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this