An Anatomy of the Sen and Sen-Shorrocks-Thon Indices: Multiplicative Decomposability and its Subgroup Decompositions

Dalhousie Working Paper Series 1999

39 Pages Posted: 28 Oct 1999

See all articles by Kuan Xu

Kuan Xu

Dalhousie University - Department of Economics

Lars Osberg

Dalhousie University - Department of Economics

Date Written: June 1999

Abstract

This paper proposes a new and unified framework for the Sen and Sen-Shorrocks-Thon indices of poverty intensity, which shows an explicit connection between the two indices and the underlying social evaluation function. This paper also identifies the common multiplicative decomposition of the two indices. This allows simple and similar geometric interpretations, easy numerical computation, and common subgroup decompositions, which are useful to policy analysts but not possible prior to the multiplicative decomposition.

JEL Classification: C00, H00, O15

Suggested Citation

Xu, Kuan and Osberg, Lars Spencer, An Anatomy of the Sen and Sen-Shorrocks-Thon Indices: Multiplicative Decomposability and its Subgroup Decompositions (June 1999). Dalhousie Working Paper Series 1999, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=168408 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.168408

Kuan Xu (Contact Author)

Dalhousie University - Department of Economics ( email )

Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3J5
Canada
902-494-6995 (Phone)
902-494-6917 (Fax)

Lars Spencer Osberg

Dalhousie University - Department of Economics ( email )

Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3J5
Canada
902-494-2026 (Phone)

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