The absence of deprivation as a measure of social well-being: An empirical investigation

► We empirically investigate the degree of decisiveness of the non-deprivation quasi-orderings. ► These criteria are less demanding and more informative than the Lorenz criteria, but theoretically less conclusive. ► Statistical inference is performed using the intersection-union and union-intersection procedures. ► The non-deprivation criteria approximate the Lorenz criteria surprisingly well.