  We propose an infinitesimal dispersion index for Markov counting processes.
We show that, under standard moment existence conditions, a process is
infinitesimally (over-) equi-dispersed if, and only if, it is simple
(compound), i.e. it increases in jumps of one (or more) unit(s), even though
infinitesimally equi-dispersed processes might be under-, equi- or
over-dispersed using previously studied indices. Compound processes arise, for
example, when introducing continuous-time white noise to the rates of simple
processes resulting in Levy-driven SDEs. We construct multivariate
infinitesimally over-dispersed compartment models and queuing networks,
suitable for applications where moment constraints inherent to simple processes
do not hold.
