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Are the HDI dimensions weighted equally?

April 26, 2017dimensions equally hdi weighted

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Are the HDI dimensions weighted equally?

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The new HDI assigns equal weight to all three dimension indices; the two education sub-indices are also weighted equally. This is different from the previous HDI, which weighted them differentially. The choice of weights is based on the normative judgement that all three dimensions are equally important. Research papers that provide a statistical justification for this approach include Noorkbakhsh (1998) and Decanq and Lugo (2009)1. The new HDI has more equal ranges of variation of dimension indices than the previous one, implying that the effective weighting is more equal than it was before. 1 Decanq, K. and Lugo, M.A. 2009. Weights in Multidimensional Indices of Well-Being. OPHI working paper No. 18.