Department of Economics, University of Antwerp, City Campus, Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium.
J Health Econ. 2011 Jul;30(4):685-94. doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2011.04.004. Epub 2011 May 11.
The tools to be used and other choices to be made when measuring socioeconomic inequalities with rank-dependent inequality indices have recently been debated in this journal. This paper adds to this debate by stressing the importance of the measurement scale, by providing formal proofs of several issues in the debate, and by lifting the curtain on the confusing debate between adherents of absolute versus relative health differences. We end this paper with a 'matrix' that provides guidelines on the usefulness of several rank-dependent inequality indices under varying circumstances.
当使用基于等级的不平等指数来衡量社会经济不平等时,所使用的工具和其他选择最近在本期刊上进行了讨论。本文通过强调测量尺度的重要性、为辩论中的几个问题提供正式证明以及揭示绝对健康差异与相对健康差异的拥护者之间令人困惑的辩论,为这一辩论做出了贡献。本文最后提供了一个“矩阵”,为在不同情况下使用几种基于等级的不平等指数的有用性提供了指导。