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

Luc Lauwers and Tom Van Puyenbroeck

Working Papers of Department of Economics, Leuven from KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Department of Economics, Leuven

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: 2008-07
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Related works:
Working Paper: Minimally Disproportional Representation: Generalized Entropy and Stolarsky Mean-Divisor Methods of Apportionment (2008)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ete:ceswps:ces0819

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