Showing papers by "Yves Tillé published in 2012"

Inference by linearization for Zenga’s new inequality index: a comparison with the Gini index

Abstract: Zenga’s new inequality curve and index are two recent tools for measuring inequality. Proposed in 2007, they should thus not be mistaken for anterior measures suggested by the same author. This paper focuses on the new measures only, which are hereafter referred to simply as the Zenga curve and Zenga index. The Zenga curve Z(α) involves the ratio of the mean income of the 100α % poorest to that of the 100(1−α)% richest. The Zenga index can also be expressed by means of the Lorenz Curve and some of its properties make it an interesting alternative to the Gini index. Like most other inequality measures, inference on the Zenga index is not straightforward. Some research on its properties and on estimation has already been conducted but inference in the sampling framework is still needed. In this paper, we propose an estimator and variance estimator for the Zenga index when estimated from a complex sampling design. The proposed variance estimator is based on linearization techniques and more specifically on the direct approach presented by Demnati and Rao. The quality of the resulting estimators are evaluated in Monte Carlo simulation studies on real sets of income data. Finally, the advantages of the Zenga index relative to the Gini index are discussed.

Histogram-Based Interpolation of the Lorenz Curve and Gini Index for Grouped Data

Abstract: In grouped data, the estimation of the Lorenz curve without taking into account the within-class variability leads to an overestimation of the curve and an underestimation of the Gini index. We propose a new strictly convex estimator of the Lorenz curve derived from a linear interpolation-based approximation of the cumulative distribution function. Integrating the Lorenz curve, a correction can be derived for the Gini index that takes the intraclass variability into account.

Size constrained unequal probability sampling with a non-integer sum of inclusion probabilities

Abstract: More than 50 methods have been developed to draw unequal probability samples with fixed sample size. All these methods require the sum of the inclusion probabilities to be an integer number. There are cases, however, where the sum of desired inclusion probabilities is not an integer. Then, classical algorithms for drawing samples cannot be directly applied. We present two methods to overcome the problem of sample selection with unequal inclusion probabilities when their sum is not an integer and the sample size cannot be fixed. The first one consists in splitting the inclusion probability vector. The second method is based on extending the population with a phantom unit. For both methods the sample size is almost fixed, and equal to the integer part of the sum of the inclusion probabilities or this integer plus one.

Bias-robustness and efficiency of model-based inference in survey sampling

Abstract: In model-based inference, the selection of balanced samples has been considered to give protection against misspecification of the model. A recent development in finite population sampling is that balanced samples can be randomly selected. There are several possible strategies that use balanced samples. We give a definition of balanced sample that embodies overbalanced, mean-balanced, and π-balanced samples, and we derive strategies in order to equalize a d-weighted estimator with the best linear unbiased estimator. We show the value of selecting a balanced sample with inclusion probabilities proportional to the standard deviations of the errors with the Horvitz-Thompson estimator. This is a strategy that is design-robust and efficient. We show its superiority compared to other strategies that use balanced samples in the model-based framework. In particular, we show that this strategy is preferable to the use of overbalanced samples in the polynomial model. The problem of bias-robustness is also discussed, and we show how overspecifying the model can protect against misspecification.