The Journal of Official Statistics has published a book review by Andreea L. Erciulescu, PhD, a Westat Associate Vice President for Statistics and Data Science, of Robust Small Area Estimation: Methods, Theory, Applications, and Open Problems by Jiming Jiang and J. Sunil Rao (Chapman & Hall, 2025). Erciulescu describes the book as a comprehensive resource that examines both the theoretical foundations and practical applications of robust small area estimation (SAE) while identifying emerging challenges and opportunities for future research.
In her review, Erciulescu highlights the growing importance of SAE, a statistical methodology that combines survey and auxiliary data to produce reliable estimates for small areas, defined in terms or geography, demography, subpopulations, or other domains where direct survey data may be limited. SAE plays a critical role in informing public policy, allocating resources, and supporting official statistics.
Using examples from across the world, Erciulescu complements the book review with a synthesis of government programs that considered or already adopted SAE approaches to produce reliable official statistics to effectively plan and apportion funds.