Minimally disproportional representation: generalized entropy and Stolarsky Mean-Divisor Methods of Apportionment

Luc Lauwers () and Tom Van Puyenbroeck

Center for Economic Studies - Discussion papers from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Centrum voor Economische Studiën

Abstract: We study divisor methods, the primary class to solve apportionment problems, based upon Stolarsky means Saß. These encompass the five traditional methods. We disclose a one-to-one relation between methods of the form Sa1 and aggregate measures of seat/vote disproportionality of the generalized entropy family: using a divisor method based upon such a generalized logarithmic mean coincides with minimizing a generalized entropy inequality measure. The Balinski-Young ‘favoring small states’.-ordering ranks the generalized entropy methods. This framework improves upon an inconsistency in the traditional inequality approach to apportionment problems, which we illustrate by showing that the major rationale of the ‘method of equal proportions’.is consistently preserved by a non-traditional method.

JEL-codes: C61 D63 D72 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: Written 2008-07

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.econ.kuleuven.be/eng/ew/discussionpapers/Dps08/Dps0819.pdf

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Center for Economic Studies - Discussion papers from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Centrum voor Economische Studiën
Contact information at EDIRC.
Series data maintained by Karla Vander Weyden ().