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Is body weight better distributed among men than among women? A robust normative analysis for France, the UK, and the US

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  • Fatiha Bennia
  • Nicolas Gravel
  • Brice Magdalou
  • Patrick Moyes

Abstract

We compare distributions of body mass index (BMI) categories among genders in France, the United States, and the United Kingdom on the basis of efficiency and inequality considerations. The new normative criteria that we propose are well suited to the ordinal nature of this variable. Our empirical results, which are supported by robust statistical inference, are twofold. First, BMI categories for the two genders are better distributed in France than in the UK, and in the UK than in the US. Second, BMI categories happen to be more equally distributed among men than among women in all three countries.

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  • Fatiha Bennia & Nicolas Gravel & Brice Magdalou & Patrick Moyes, 2022. "Is body weight better distributed among men than among women? A robust normative analysis for France, the UK, and the US," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 124(1), pages 69-103, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:scandj:v:124:y:2022:i:1:p:69-103
    DOI: 10.1111/sjoe.12443
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