In this paper we sketch some reflections on the pitfalls and inconsistencies of the research program—currently dominant among the profession—aimed at providing microfoundations to macroeconomics along a Walrasian perspective. We argue that such a methodological approach constitutes an...

This paper proposes a statistical mechanics approach to the analysis of income distribution and inequality. A new distribution function, having its roots in the framework of k-generalized statistics, is derived that is particularly suitable to describe the whole spectrum of incomes, from the...

In this paper we tackle the problem of estimating the power-law tail exponent of income distributions by using the Hill's estimator. A subsample semi-parametric bootstrap procedure minimising the mean squared error is used to choose the power-law cutoff value optimally. This technique is applied...

This paper proposes the k-generalized distribution as a model for describing the distribution and dispersion of income within a population. Formulas for the shape, moments and standard tools for inequality measurement - such as the Lorenz curve and the Gini coefficient - are given. A method for...

We analyze three sets of income data: the US Panel Study of Income Dynamics PSID), the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), and the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP). It is shown that the empirical income distribution is consistent with a two-parameter lognormal function for the low-middle...

Starting from the generalized exponential function $\exp_{\kappa}(x)=(\sqrt{1+\kappa^{2}x^{2}}+\kappa x)^{1/\kappa}$, with $\exp_{0}(x)=\exp(x)$, proposed in Ref. [G. Kaniadakis, Physica A \textbf{296}, 405 (2001)], the survival function $P_{}(x)=\exp_{\kappa}(-\beta x^{\alpha})$, where...

We investigate the shape of the Italian personal income distribution using microdata from the Survey on Household Income and Wealth, made publicly available by the Bank of Italy for the years 1977--2002. We find that the upper tail of the distribution is consistent with a Pareto-power law type...

In a recent paper in this journal [J. Stat. Mech. (2009) P02037] we proposed a new, physically motivated, distribution function for modeling individual incomes having its roots in the framework of the k-generalized statistical mechanics. The performance of the k-generalized distribution was...

The practice of detecting power laws and scaling behaviors in economics and finance has gained momentum in the last few years, due to the increased use of concepts and methods first developed in statistical physics. Some disappointment has emerged in the economic profession, however, as regards...