Estimating the Uncertainty of a Small Area Estimator Based on a Microsimulation Approach

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Estimating the Uncertainty of a Small Area Estimator Based on a Microsimulation Approach
Language: English
Authors: Moretti, Angelo (ORCID 0000-0001-6543-9418), Whitworth, Adam
Source: Sociological Methods & Research. 2023 52(4):1785-1815.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 31
Publication Date: 2023
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Simulation, Geometric Concepts, Computation, Measurement, Error of Measurement, Bias, Income, Municipalities, Foreign Countries
Geographic Terms: Italy
DOI: 10.1177/0049124120986199
ISSN: 0049-1241
1552-8294
Abstract: Spatial microsimulation encompasses a range of alternative methodological approaches for the small area estimation (SAE) of target population parameters from sample survey data down to target small areas in contexts where such data are desired but not otherwise available. Although widely used, an enduring limitation of spatial microsimulation SAE approaches is their current inability to deliver reliable measures of uncertainty--and hence confidence intervals--around the small area estimates produced. In this article, we overcome this key limitation via the development of a measure of uncertainty that takes into account both variance and bias, that is, the mean squared error. This new approach is evaluated via a simulation study and demonstrated in a practical application using European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions data to explore income levels across Italian municipalities. Evaluations show that the approach proposed delivers accurate estimates of uncertainty and is robust to nonnormal distributions. The approach provides a significant development to widely used spatial microsimulation SAE techniques.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2023
Accession Number: EJ1397535
Database: ERIC
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