Estimation of finite population totals in the presence of auxiliary information is considered. A class of estimators based on penalized spline regression is proposed. These estimators are weighted linear combinations of sample observations, with weights calibrated to known control totals....

The paper proposes a small area estimation approach that combines small area random effects with a smooth, non-parametrically specified trend. By using penalized splines as the representation for the non-parametric trend, it is possible to express the non-parametric small area estimation problem...

Estimation of finite population totals in the presence of auxiliary information is considered. A class of estimators based on penalised spline regression is proposed. These estimators are weighted linear combinations of sample observations, with weights calibrated to known control totals. They...