Article ID: | iaor2000569 |
Country: | United Kingdom |
Volume: | 35 |
Issue: | 3 |
Start Page Number: | 622 |
End Page Number: | 632 |
Publication Date: | Sep 1998 |
Journal: | Journal of Applied Probability |
Authors: | Joyce Paul |
Is the Ewens distribution the only one-parameter family of partition structures where the total number of types sampled is a sufficient statistic? In general, the answer is no. It is shown that all counter examples can be generated via an urn scheme. The urn scheme need only satisfy two general conditions. In fact, the conditions are both necessary and sufficient. However, in particular, for a large class of partition structures that naturally arise in the infinite alleles theory of population genetics, the Ewens distribution is the only one in this class where the total number of types is sufficient for estimating the mutation rate. Finally, asymptotic sufficiency for parametric families of partition structures is discussed.