In this article we propose small area estimators for both the small and large area parameters. When the objective is to estimate parameters at both levels, optimality is achieved by a sample design that combines fixed and proportional allocation. In such a design, one fraction of the sample is distributed proportionally among the small areas and the rest is evenly distributed. Simulation is used to assess the performance of the direct estimator and two composite small area estimators, for a range...

A national survey designed for estimating a specific population quantity is sometimes used for estimation of this quantity also for a small area, such as a province. Budget constraints do not allow a greater sample size for the small area, and so other means of improving estimation have to be devised. We investigate such methods and assess them by a Monte Carlo study. We explore how a complementary survey can be exploited in small area estimation. We use the context of the Spanish Labour Force Survey...