Individual Components of Three Inequality Measures for Analyzing Shapes of Inequality

2019 ◽  
pp. 004912411987596
Author(s):  
Tim Futing Liao
Keyword(s):  
Sociological Research ◽  
Aggregate Level ◽  
Current Population Survey Data ◽  
Single Measure ◽  
Generalized Entropy ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Inequality Measures ◽  
Entropy Measures ◽  
Individual Contributions ◽  
The Individual

In common sociological research, income inequality is measured only at the aggregate level. The main purpose of this article is to demonstrate that there is more than meets the eye when inequality is indicated by a single measure. In this article, I introduce an alternative method that evaluates individuals’ contributions to inequality as well as the between-group and within-group components of these individual contributions. I first highlight three common inequality measures, the Gini index and two generalized entropy measures—Theil’s T and Theil’s L indices—by presenting their individual components as a method for evaluating inequality. Five artificial data examples illustrate the use of these individual components first. An empirical analysis of the 2007 and 2017 Current Population Survey data then focuses on the differences in inequality revealed by such individual inequality components between the 2007 and 2017. The individual-level inequality measures can reveal patterns of inequality concealed by single measures at the aggregate level. In particular, the Gini individual measures differentiate cases better than the generalized entropy measures and tend to have smaller standard errors in a regression analysis.

scholarly journals Frankly, We Do Give a Damn

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 816-826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilad Feldman ◽  
Huiwen Lian ◽  
Michal Kosinski ◽  
David Stillwell
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Linguistic Analysis ◽  
The Other ◽  
Aggregate Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Common Causes ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship

There are two conflicting perspectives regarding the relationship between profanity and dishonesty. These two forms of norm-violating behavior share common causes and are often considered to be positively related. On the other hand, however, profanity is often used to express one’s genuine feelings and could therefore be negatively related to dishonesty. In three studies, we explored the relationship between profanity and honesty. We examined profanity and honesty first with profanity behavior and lying on a scale in the lab (Study 1; N = 276), then with a linguistic analysis of real-life social interactions on Facebook (Study 2; N = 73,789), and finally with profanity and integrity indexes for the aggregate level of U.S. states (Study 3; N = 50 states). We found a consistent positive relationship between profanity and honesty; profanity was associated with less lying and deception at the individual level and with higher integrity at the society level.

Levels of Aggregation in Conjoint Analysis: An Empirical Comparison

1980 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 516-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
William L. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Conjoint Analysis ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Aggregate Level ◽  
Segmentation Method ◽  
Empirical Comparison ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Aggregate Analysis ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Level Analysis

Two segmented methods of performing conjoint anal/sis, clustered and componential segmentation, are compared with each other as well as with individual level and totally aggregate level analyses. The two segmented methods provide insights to the data that (1) are not obtainable at the aggregate level and (2) are in a form that is more easily communicated than the information from the individual level analysis. The predictive power of the clustered segmentation method is higher than that of componential segmentation, and both are superior to the aggregate analysis but inferior to individual level analysis.

What's Gay about Being Single? A Qualitative Study of the Lived Experiences of Older Single Gay Men

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 48-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiu Tung Suen
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Positive Aspect ◽  
Negative Experience ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Gay Community ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Sexual Exploration ◽  
Depth Interviews

This paper contributes to the theorization of ‘choice’ within sociological understanding of singlehood. Previous sociological research on singlehood has largely focused on the lives of heterosexual singles. A choice narrative permeates such literature, depicting singlehood as a celebratory story that brings about the potential to disrupt the couplehood culture in society. Based on in-depth interviews with 25 self-identified single gay men over the age of 50 in England, this article finds that although gay singles share similarities with straight singles, there are gay-specific features of singlehood that can be identified, in terms of the limit of ‘choice’. Although some older single gay men drew on the cultural discourse in the gay community, which decentres the conjugal couple, and claimed freedom of sexual exploration as a positive aspect of being single, there was also a strong sense that many older gay men's status of being single was shaped by a larger history, and hence, they were afforded no choice in choosing whether to be single or not. Taking these findings together, this paper suggests that there are ideological, historical and cultural factors that distinguish the lived experiences of single gay men as being different from those of heterosexual singles. This paper argues that although the discourse of ‘choice’ helps sociologists to understand that singlehood need not be understood as necessarily a negative experience, older gay men's experiences of singlehood caution that the choice narrative shall not mislead the analysis to focus singlehood merely on the individual level. Instead, singlehood needs to be understood as deeply socially and historically embedded.

Trustees, Delegates, and Responsiveness in Comparative Perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 766-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaun Bowler
Keyword(s):  
Academic Research ◽  
Large Body ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Aggregate Level ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Conceptual Distinction ◽  
Citizen Preferences ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Government Responsiveness

A large body of aggregate-level work shows that government policies do indeed respond to citizen preferences. But whether citizens recognize that government is responsive is another question entirely. Indeed, a prior question is whether or not citizens value responsiveness in the way that academic research assumes they should in the first place. Using comparative data from the European Social Survey, this article examines how citizens see government responsiveness. We show that several key assumptions of the aggregate-level literature are met at the individual level. But we also present results that show that attitudes toward representation and responsiveness are colored, sometimes in quite surprising ways, by winner–loser effects. In a finding that stands in some contrast to the normative literature on the topic, we show that these sorts of short-term attitudes help shape preferences for models of representation. In particular, we show that the distinction between delegates and trustees is a conceptual distinction that has limits in helping us to understand citizen preferences for representation.

scholarly journals Análisis multidimensional de la desigualdad en el marco del desarrollo humano

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 765
Author(s):  
Vanesa Jordá ◽  
Carmen Trueba ◽  
José María Sarabia
Keyword(s):  
Human Development ◽  
Human Development Index ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Generalized Entropy ◽  
Development Index ◽  
Inequality Measures ◽  
Entropy Measures ◽  
Alternative Approaches ◽  
Multidimensional Process

In this work we contribute to the study of well-being inequality conceived as a multidimensional process, analyzing inequality across countries in terms of the Human Development Index (HDI). To that end, we consider two alternative approaches based on the use of generalized entropy measures. Our results point out a reduction of inequality in the three dimensions considered by the HDI as well as in composite indicators of these components over the period 1980-2011. The decomposition of this type of inequality measures in two components, between-regions and within- regions, reveals that the fall of overall disparities is mainly driven by the decrease in inequality between regions.

scholarly journals A Bifactor Model of Subjective Well-Being at Personal, Community, and Country Levels: A Case With Three Latin-American Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Torres-Vallejos ◽  
Joel Juarros-Basterretxea ◽  
Juan Carlos Oyanedel ◽  
Masatoshi Sato
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Bifactor Model ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Specific Level ◽  
Single Measure ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Latin American Countries

Improving citizens' subjective well-being (SWB) has become an increasingly visible policy goal across industrialized countries. Although an increasing number of studies have investigated SWB at the individual level, little is known about subjective evaluation at social levels, such as the community and national levels. While the relationships between these levels have been analyzed in previous research, these assessments, which are part of the same unique construct of SWB, are under-investigated. The purpose of this study was to examine the dimensionality and reliability of a single measure of SWB, which contained individual, community, and national levels across three Latin-American countries (Argentina, Chile, and Venezuela), using a bifactor model analysis. Findings showed that the bifactor model exhibited a good fit to the data for the three countries. However, invariance testing between countries was not fully supported because of each item's specific contribution to both specific and general constructs. The analyses of each country showed that the SWB construct was in a gray area between unidimensionality and multidimensionality; some factors contributed more to the general factor and others to the specific level, depending on the country. These findings call for integrating more distant levels (community and country levels) into the understanding of SWB at the individual level, as they contribute not only to an overall construct, but they make unique contributions to SWB, which must be considered in public policy making.

Discriminating between behaviour using market data from panels

2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-88
Author(s):  
Hsiu-Yuan Tsao ◽  
Leyland Pitt ◽  
Colin Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Sequence Length ◽  
Aggregate Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Consumer Panel ◽  
Considerable Research ◽  
Switching Behaviour ◽  
Promotional Effect ◽  
Share Data ◽  
The Individual

Considerable research exists on stochastic models of switching behaviour that uses sequences of individual-level purchase data. While at the individual level, sample size and sequence length are limiting factors, at the aggregate level, heterogeneity with respect to purchase sequences may assist in interpreting results. The authors propose an approach to discriminate between the switching behaviour of variety seeking, indifference and reinforcement. Only the proportion of 100% loyal customers, market share data and an estimation of the promotional effect -information all available from consumer panel data - are necessary to fit the model.

Voting Outcomes in the 1984 Democratic Party Primaries and Caucuses

1987 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Wayne Parent ◽  
Calvin C. Jillson ◽  
Ronald E. Weber
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Party ◽  
Aggregate Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Primary Election ◽  
Electoral Outcomes ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Scholarly Inquiry ◽  
Level Analysis ◽  
Level Of Analysis

Scholarly inquiry concerning influences on electoral outcomes in the presidential nomination process, though extensive, has been conducted almost exclusively with data collected at the individual level of analysis. The Michigan model of normal vote analysis suggests that long-term influences measured at the aggregate level, such as the sociodemographic, economic, and ideological characteristics of the states, are also important in determining electoral outcomes. We present an aggregate-level analysis of state characteristics that affected the Hart, Jackson, and Mondale vote proportions in the 1984 Democratic caucuses and primaries. Our primary election models explain between 65% and 83% of the variance in candidate vote shares, with sociodemographic and economic factors as the leading indicators. In the caucuses, we find that campaign spending and sociodemographic influences are dominant in models that explain between 38% and 81% of the variance. We conclude with a brief discussion of what our findings mean for future Democratic candidates.

scholarly journals Magnitude effect in intertemporal allocation tasks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Sun ◽  
Jan Potters
Keyword(s):  
Discount Rate ◽  
Time Preference ◽  
Magnitude Effect ◽  
Aggregate Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Total Budget ◽  
Intertemporal Allocation ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Intertemporal Choices

AbstractIntertemporal choices are affected by both discount rate and utility curvature. We investigate how the two aspects of time preference are affected by the size of the total budget using an intertemporal allocation task. At the aggregate level as well as at the individual level, we find magnitude effects both on the discount rate and on intertemporal substitutability (i.e., utility curvature). Individuals are more patient when dealing with larger budgets and also regard larger budgets to be more fungible. The latter effect suggests that the degree of asset integration is increasing in the stake.

Reconciling Individual and Aggregate Evidence Concerning Partisan Stability: Applying Time-Series Models to Panel Survey Data

2002 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald P. Green ◽  
David H. Yoon
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Party Identification ◽  
Data Generation ◽  
Aggregate Level ◽  
Panel Surveys ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Empirical Regularities ◽  
Integrated Time Series ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Individual

Party identification has been studied extensively using both individual- and aggregate-level data. This paper attempts to formulate a statistical model that can account for the range of empirical generalizations that have emerged from aggregate time series and panel surveys. Using Monte Carlo simulation, we show that only certain types of data generation processes can account for these empirical regularities. Deciding which of the remaining types best explains the data means investigating the ways in which individual-level partisanship behaves over time. Partisanship at the aggregate-level tends to be highly autocorrelated, reequilibrating slowly in the wake of each perturbation. Working downward from the analysis of aggregate data, previous researchers argued that aggregate partisanship is fractionally integrated and contended that dynamics at the individual level are therefore heterogeneous. Using data from three panel surveys, we present the first direct assessment of individual-level dynamics. We also investigate the hypothesis that these dynamics vary among individuals, a claim that motivates much recent work on fractionally integrated time series. The model that best explains the observed characteristics of party identification is one in which individuals respond in similar ways to external shocks, reequilibrate rapidly thereafter, and seldom change their equilibrium level of partisan attachment.

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