One measure of segregation

Abstract

This article considers the problem of deriving a numerical measure of segregation, i.e., a measure of inequality in the distribution of people across groups. It proposes a list of eight desirable properties for a good numerical measure of segregation. These properties yield a class of segregation indexes that are related to generalized entropy indexes of income inequality. Moreover, one and only one index - termed the square root index - satisfies seven of the properties.