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The Gini coefficient has been the most popular method for operationalising income inequality in the public health literature. However, a number of alternative methods exist, and they offer researchers the means to develop a more nuanced understanding of the distribution of income. Income inequality measures such as the generalised entropy index and the Atkinson index offer the ability to examine the effects of inequalities in different areas of the income spectrum, enabling more meaningful quantitative assessments of qualitatively different inequalities. This glossary provides a conceptual introduction to these and other income inequality measures.

In teaching introductory quantitative methods in sociology, I have used a controversial survey of mortality in Iraq before and after the 2003 invasion to highlight to students the power of simple questionnaires, the role of ambiguity in statistics, and the place of politics in the framing of statistical results. This brief report summarizes Roberts et al’s estimate that the invasion of Iraq resulted in 98,000 (95% CI = 8,000 – 194,000) deaths, as well as the intriguing reaction that the survey received in the press. Statistics teachers should find the Roberts et al study to be an effective way to …