Two Useful Discrete Distributions to Model Overdispersed Count Data

Abstract

The methods to obtain discrete analogues of continuous distributions have been widely considered in recent years. In general, the discretization process provides probability mass functions that can be competitive with the traditional model used in the analysis of count data, the Poisson distribution. The discretization procedure also avoids the use of continuous distribution in the analysis of strictly discrete data. In this paper, we seek to introduce two discrete analogues for the Shanker distribution using the method of the infinite series and the method based on the survival function as alternatives to model overdispersed datasets. Despite the difference between discretization methods, the resulting distributions are interchangeable. However, the distribution generated by the method of infinite series method has simpler mathematical expressions for the shape, the generating functions and the central moments. The maximum likelihood theory is considered for estimation and asymptotic inference concerns. A simulation study is carried out in order to evaluate some frequentist properties of the developed methodology. The usefulness of the proposed models is evaluated using real datasets provided by the literature.