A class of smooth estimators for discrete distributions

This paper presents a class of smooth weight function estimators for discrete distributions. Any estimator in the class depends on choosing a parameterized set of weights. The resulting estimators are strongly consistent and asymptotically normal under mild regularity conditions. A general procedure for choosing the weight function smoothing parameter is given along with specific solutions in some cases. Mean squared error comparisons with the maximum likelihood estimator based on large-sample theory and small-sample simulations are obtained. Typically, the weight function estimates yield significantly smaller mean squared error in these comparisons.