A note on the U,V method of estimation

Abstract

The U,V method of estimation provides unbiased estimators or predictors of random quantities. The method was introduced by Robbins \citer3 and subsequently studied in a series of papers by Robbins and Zhang. (See Zhang \citer5.) Practical applications of the method are featured in these papers. We demonstrate that for one U function (one for which there is an important application) the V estimator is inadmissible for a wide class of loss functions. For another important U function the V estimator is admissible for the squared error loss function.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/074921707000000139 in the IMS Lecture Notes Monograph Series (http://www.imstat.org/publications/lecnotes.htm) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org