In this paper hybrid Lorenz curves are proposed as a way of circumventing a
n important drawback of traditional models of the Lorenz curve, namely lack
of satisfactory fit over the entire range of a given income distribution.
Two categories of hybrid models are identified, namely the additive models
and the multiplicative models. Whereas the additive models are obtained by
taking convex combinations of the traditional models, the multiplicative mo
dels are obtained by taking their weighted products. A comparison of the pe
rformances of the hybrid Lorenz curves with those of the constituent Lorenz
curves shows that both the additive and multiplicative models perform gene
rally better than the constituent Lorenz curves. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science
S.A. All rights reserved.