The Burr XII Distribution Family and the Maximum Entropy Principle: Power-Law Phenomena Are Not Necessarily “Nonextensive”

Abstract

In this paper, we recall for physicists how it is possible using the principle of maximization of the Boltzmann-Shannon entropy to derive the Burr-Singh-Maddala (BurrXII) double power law probability distribution function and its approximations (Pareto, loglogistic.) and extension (GB2…) first used in econometrics. This is possible using a deformation of the power function, as this has been done in complex systems for the exponential function. We give to that distribution a deep stochastic interpretation using the theory of Weron et al . Applied to thermodynamics, the entropy nonextensivity can be accounted for by assuming that the asymptotic exponents are scale dependent. Therefore functions which describe phenomena presenting power-law asymptotic behaviour can be obtained without introducing exotic forms of the entropy.