Classes of improved estimators for parameters of a Pareto distribution

Abstract

The problem of estimating parameters of a Pareto distribution is investigated under a general scale invariant loss function when the scale parameter is restricted to the interval (0, 1]. We consider the estimation of shape parameter when the scale parameter is unknown. Techniques for improving equivariant estimators developed by Stein, Brewster–Zidek and Kubokawa are applied to derive improved estimators. In particular improved classes of estimators are obtained for the entropy loss and a symmetric loss. Risk functions of various estimators are compared numerically using simulations. It is also shown that the technique of Kubokawa produces improved estimators for estimating the scale parameter when the shape parameter is known.