Kaldor-Hicks improvement

noun

An economic reallocation of resources among people, such that those who are made better off could hypothetically compensate those who are made worse off and lead to a Pareto-improving outcome.

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Meanings

nounKaldor-Hicks improvement (plural Kaldor-Hicks improvements)

plural Kaldor-Hicks improvements

  1. economicsAn economic reallocation of resources among people, such that those who are made better off could hypothetically compensate those who are made worse off and lead to a Pareto-improving outcome.

Origin

Named for Nicholas Kaldor and John Hicks.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Kaldor-Hicks improvement. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kaldor-Hicks%20improvement

MLA

“Kaldor-Hicks improvement.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kaldor-Hicks%20improvement. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Kaldor-Hicks improvement,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kaldor-Hicks%20improvement.

Source: Kaldor-Hicks improvement on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.