The Gini index signals only the dispersion of the distribution and is not very sensitive to income differences at the tails of the distribution. The widely used index of inequality can be adjusted to also measure distributional asymmetry by attaching weights to the distances between the Lorenz curve and the 45-degree line. The measure is equivalent to the Gini if the distribution is symmetric. The alternative measure of inequality inherits good properties from the Gini but is more sensitive to changes in the extremes of the income distribution.
翻译:吉尼指数仅表示分布分布的分散,对分布尾端的收入差异不甚敏感,广泛使用的不平等指数可以调整,通过将权重附加在洛伦茨曲线和45度线之间的距离,衡量分布不对称性,如果分布对称,则与吉尼相等。替代不平等衡量标准继承吉尼人的良好财产,但对于收入分配极端的变化更敏感。