Parameter shrinkage is known to reduce fitting and prediction errors in linear models. When the variables are dummies for age, period, etc. shrinkage is more commonly applied to differences between adjacent parameters, perhaps by fitting cubic splines or piecewise-linear curves (linear splines)...

Very similar modeling is done for actuarial models in loss reserving and mortality projection. Both start with incomplete data rectangles, traditionally called triangles, and model by year of origin, year of observation, and lag from origin to observation. Actuaries using these models almost...