We present a class of decomposable inequality indices for ordinal data (e.g. self-reported health survey). It is characterized by well-known inequality axioms (e.g. scale invariance) and a decomposability axiom which states that an index can be represented as a function of inequality values in...

Inequality indices decomposable by attributes are characterized in the case where association can be ignored. This technique permits checking for decomposition of well-known indices.

A utilitarian social planner who maximizes social welfare assigns the available income to those who are most efficient in converting income into utility. However, when individuals are concerned about their income falling behind the incomes of others, the optimal income distribution under...