Adam Wagstaff

TL;DR: This paper addresses two issues: how health inequalities can be measured in such a way as to take into account policymakers' attitudes towards inequality and how information on health inequality can be used together with information on the mean of the relevant distribution to obtain an overall measure of health "achievement".

TL;DR: It is concluded that none of the methods used to date is particularly well equipped to provide unbiassed estimates of the extent of inequity and Le Grand's (1978) approach is likely to point towards inequity favouring the rich even when none exists.

TL;DR: It seems for the most part to make little difference to the measured degree of socioeconomic inequalities in malnutrition among under-five children whether one measures SES by consumption or by an asset-based wealth index.

TL;DR: In this article, the Gini coefficient and the related concentration index embody one particular set of value judgements, and by generalizing these indices, alternative sets of value judgments can be reflected, which can be used together with information on the mean of the relevant distribution to obtain an overall measure of health "achievement".

TL;DR: It is shown that the standard approach--which involves dichotomizing the categorical variable--is unreliable and an alternative approach is proposed which involves constructing a latent health variable and then measuring inequalities in this latent variable by means of a variant of the health concentration curve.