Measuring Urban Segregation : an Economic Contribution

In this paper, an economic alternative to the standard, group-based viewpoint on segregation measurement is presented. Relying on Justice Theories, a description of an economic measure of inter-individual distance is provided, where emphasis is put on the utilitarian definition of wellbeing. In this framework, urban segregation could be appraised as the conjunction of geographical distance within the city and this economically-defined distance. Using fiscal data and the 2006 Population Census, an application is supplied for Ile-de-France, in order to highlight the empirical discrepancies or complementarities of the standard and the economic conceptions of segregation. While no major discrepancies are observed, the economic point of view allows for a generalization of some of the standard approach results, and also provides additional evidence on segregation in Ile-de-France.