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| Theil Segregation Index× | Index of Dissimilarity× | |
|---|---|---|
| Field | Sociology | Sociology |
| Family | Process / pipeline | Process / pipeline |
| Year of origin≠ | 1971 | 1955 |
| Originator≠ | Henri Theil & Anthony Finizza | Otis Dudley Duncan & Beverly Duncan |
| Type≠ | Entropy-based multigroup segregation index | Index of evenness of two groups across units |
| Seminal source≠ | Theil, H., & Finizza, A. J. (1971). A note on the measurement of racial integration of schools by means of informational concepts. Journal of Mathematical Sociology, 1(2), 187–193. DOI ↗ | Duncan, O. D., & Duncan, B. (1955). A methodological analysis of segregation indexes. American Sociological Review, 20(2), 210–217. DOI ↗ |
| Aliases | Theil's H, information theory index, entropy segregation index, multigroup entropy index | dissimilarity index, Duncan index, D index, segregation index |
| Related | 5 | 5 |
| Summary≠ | Theil's information index, denoted H, is an entropy-based measure of segregation that, unlike the two-group dissimilarity index, handles any number of groups at once. It compares the diversity (entropy) found within each unit to the diversity of the whole population: segregation is high when units are internally homogeneous even though the overall population is diverse. Its defining virtue is exact decomposability across nested levels and across groups. | The index of dissimilarity, often called the Duncan segregation index, measures how unevenly two groups — such as two racial or occupational groups — are distributed across a set of units like neighborhoods, schools, or occupations. It ranges from 0, when both groups have identical distributions across units, to 1, when the units are completely segregated, and has the intuitive interpretation of the share of one group that would have to relocate to achieve an even distribution. |
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