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The origins of the Gini index: extracts from Variabilità e Mutabilità (1912) by Corrado Gini

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  • Lidia Ceriani
  • Paolo Verme

Abstract

The scope of this paper is to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Gini index by providing the original formulae. Corrado Gini introduced his index for the first time in a 1912 book published in Italian under the name of “Variabilità e Mutabilità” (Variability and Mutability). This article provides selected extracts of Part I of the book dedicated to measures of variability. We find that Gini proposed no less than 13 formulations of his index, none of which is known today to the large public. We also find that Gini anticipated some of the developments that derived from the study of his index. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2012

Suggested Citation

  • Lidia Ceriani & Paolo Verme, 2012. "The origins of the Gini index: extracts from Variabilità e Mutabilità (1912) by Corrado Gini," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 10(3), pages 421-443, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jecinq:v:10:y:2012:i:3:p:421-443
    DOI: 10.1007/s10888-011-9188-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Corrado Gini, 2005. "On the measurement of concentration and variability of characters," Metron - International Journal of Statistics, Dipartimento di Statistica, Probabilità e Statistiche Applicate - University of Rome, vol. 0(1), pages 1-38.
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