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Abstract In small area estimation, different data sources are integrated in order to produce reliable estimates of target parameters (e.g., a mean or a proportion) for a collection of small subsets (areas) of a finite population. Regression models such as the linear mixed effects model or M-quantile regression are often used to improve the precision of survey sample estimates by leveraging auxiliary information for which means or totals are known at the area level. In many applications, the unit-level linkage of records from different sources is probabilistic and potentially error-prone. In this article, we present adjustments of the small area predictors that are based on either the linear mixed effects model or M-quantile regression to account for the presence of linkage error. These adjustments are developed from a two-component mixture model that hinges on the assumption of independence of the target and auxiliary variable given incorrect linkage. Estimation and inference is based on composite likelihoods and machinery revolving around the Expectation-Maximization Algorithm. For each of the two regression methods, we propose modified small area predictors and approximations for their mean squared errors. The empirical performance of the proposed approaches is studied in both design-based and model-based simulations that include comparisons to a variety of baselines. 

Abstract In this paper, we propose a flexible nested error regression small area model with high-dimensional parameter that incorporates heterogeneity in regression coefficients and variance components. We develop a new robust small area-specific estimating equations method that allows appropriate pooling of a large number of areas in estimating small area-specific model parameters. We propose a parametric bootstrap and jackknife method to estimate not only the mean squared errors but also other commonly used uncertainty measures such as standard errors and coefficients of variation. We conduct both model-based and design-based simulation experiments and real-life data analysis to evaluate the proposed methodology.