Pareto principle
- noun
- /pəˈreɪtoʊ ˈprɪnsəpəl/
- The Pareto principle suggests that 80% of the results come from just 20% of the efforts.
Examples
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It's simply another application of the Pareto principle.
Blog text (8) -
This ties into the Pareto principle from 4HWW.
Blog text (8) -
So the Pareto principle says that in a market system, they'll they'll move toward the frontier and when they get there, they'll stop.
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Businesses often rely on the Pareto principle to focus on the most impactful customers.
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According to the Pareto principle, a small number of causes are responsible for the majority of consequences.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Pareto + principle
This is an eponymous term: 'Pareto' is a proper name (not semantically informative to someone who doesn't know the reference) and 'principle' only signals that it is a rule. A B1 learner who knows the words 'Pareto' (as a name) and 'principle' would not be able to derive the specific 80/20 meaning from the constituents alone, so the expression is opaque.
Etymology
Pareto principle comes from Vilfredo Pareto, who noticed in Italy that about 80% of the land was owned by 20% of the people. So the idea means that a small part, about 20%, often gives most, about 80%, of the result, and people call this the '80/20 rule'.