Loading…

Gini's coefficient of mean difference as a measure of adoption speed: theoretical issues and empirical evidence from India

This paper represents a variant on the empirical analysis of technological adoption by Griliches. It follows up on previous research regarding the potential of the Gini coefficient of mean difference as a distribution-free measure of adoption speed. A formal proof is supplied for the derivation of a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Agricultural economics 1992, Vol.7 (3), p.351-369
Main Author: Jansen, Hans G.P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This paper represents a variant on the empirical analysis of technological adoption by Griliches. It follows up on previous research regarding the potential of the Gini coefficient of mean difference as a distribution-free measure of adoption speed. A formal proof is supplied for the derivation of an empirically workable definition of the Gini. Data regarding the uptake of high-yielding wheat varieties in India are used to compare the performance of the Gini relative to that of the logistic and Weibull adoption speed coefficients. The results suggest that, for the purpose of ex-post analyses of monotonically increasing adoption processes, use of the Gini in measuring adoption speed can result in a better explanation of aggregate adoption behavior.
ISSN:0169-5150
1574-0862
DOI:10.1016/0169-5150(92)90059-8