Parametric transformed Fay–Herriot model for small area estimation

Abstract

In this paper, we consider parametric transformed Fay-Herriot models, and clarify conditions on transformations under which the estimator of the transformation is consistent. It is shown that the dual power transformation satisfies the conditions. Based on asymptotic properties for estimators of parameters, we derive a second-order approximation of the prediction error of the empirical best linear unbiased predictors (EBLUP) and obtain a second-order unbiased estimator of the prediction error. Finally, performances of the proposed procedures are investigated through simulation and empirical studies.