Recent research has shown (hat two entropy-based segregation
indices possess an appealing mixture of basic and subsidiar y but
useful properties. Jt would appear that the only fundamental difference
between the mutual information or M index, and the entropyRecent research has shown (hat two entropy-based segregation
indices possess an appealing mixture of basic and subsidiar y but
useful properties. Jt would appear that the only fundamental difference
between the mutual information or M index, and the entropy
information or H index, is that the second is a normalized version
of the first. This paper introduces another normalized index in
that fami/y, the H* index, which captures segregation as the tendency
of racial groups to have different distributions across schools.
More importantly, the paper shows that applied researchers may
do better using the M index than using either H or H* in two
circumstances: (1) if they are interested in the decomposability
of the measurement of segregation, and (2) if they are interested
in a margin-free measurement of segregation changes. The shortcomings
of the H and H* indices are illustrated below by means
of numerical examples, as well as with school segregation data by
ethnic group in the Us. public school system between 1989 and
2005.[+][-]
