This thesis is concerned with preferences on Lorenz curves and the Gini coefficient. First, we define Lorenz curves which are used for analysing inequality of distributions and the Gini coefficient which is a measure of the inequality derived from Lorenz curve. On the family of Lorenz curves we introduce preference relations which satisfy certain conditions and rank Lorenz curves. It follows that such a preference relation can be represented by a continuous and increasing functional. We also introduce preference functions which assign an individual’s preferences or inequality aversion. It is demonstrated that Lorenz curves can be ranked according to the Gini coefficient. Furthermore, we discuss dominance criteria between Lorenz curves, namely first-degree dominance and second-degree upside and downside dominance in case of intersecting Lorenz curves.
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