Parameter inference for partially observed branching processes

Abstract

In this paper, we study an age-dependent branching process. In the simplest setting, the population is divided into two age groups, namely juveniles and adults. Our objective is to estimate the model parameters using observations of the total population size only (i.e., juveniles plus adults). Focusing on the ergodic regime of the model, we introduce a method-of-moments estimator and establish its asymptotic normality. Several extensions are discussed, including models with more than two age groups.