Gamma-exponential conjugacy Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
A gamma prior with shape and rate combined with independent observations from an exponential distribution of rate gives the posterior
Under squared-error loss, the Bayes estimator is its posterior mean .
Put . The posterior is , and
The denominator is positive for . For , both parameters exceed one and the mode simplifies to . For this is the uniform-prior mode, exactly ; for the endpoint or symmetric cases also make the mode rule coincide with . Otherwise it is generally a different rule. The posterior mean agrees with only at .
To find the minimax estimator under quadratic loss, consider the posterior mean . Its risk function is
For , the numerator is identically , so
This constant-risk binomial proportion estimator is the unique Bayes estimator for its proper beta prior under quadratic loss. A competing rule's maximum risk is at least its risk averaged over that prior, which is at least this Bayes risk. The constant-risk rule attains the bound, so the posterior mean in (iii) is the unique minimax rule. Consequently any coincident rule is minimax too: the mean in (i) is the same rule when , and the mean in (ii) is the same rule when . No posterior mode listed here equals that mean rule for every observation, since at its value is positive whereas their endpoint modes differ from it. This accounts for the small- coincidences as well as the general answer.
The specified gamma distribution uses shape and rate . Multiplying its density by the Poisson likelihood gives a posterior density proportional to . Thus the conjugate prior calculation gives
For squared-error loss, the posterior expected loss is
It is minimized at the posterior mean, so the Bayes estimator is
For a fresh conditionally independent Poisson observation, the posterior predictive probability of zero is the posterior expectation of . Evaluating the gamma integral gives
The samples are independent conditional on ; integrating out the uncertain common parameter produces the predictive probability above.
For every estimator, its worst-case risk dominates its average risk under the uniform prior. Since the preceding Bayes estimator minimizes that average,
The estimator has risk exactly throughout the interior, so it attains this lower bound. Under either endpoint convention discussed above its supremum over is also . Thus
This constant-risk Bayes argument works also for , when the only observed counts are endpoints and the posterior integrability argument still selects their corresponding decisions.
Condition on . For , the posterior expected loss is a strictly convex quadratic in the decision . Its minimizer is
The beta density gives and , so . If , every has infinite posterior expected loss because of the nonintegrable term near zero, whereas has finite loss expectation. The analogous argument at forces . Hence the Bayes estimator is
Indeed is unbiased and has variance , which cancels the loss denominator. Its uniform-prior Bayes risk is .
The printed loss is undefined at , despite the stated closed parameter interval. A convention is necessary there. The natural extended loss assigns zero to the correct endpoint decision and infinity to an incorrect one; it gives endpoint risks zero for . Alternatively a continuous extension of this estimator's risk gives endpoint values . The interior result and the minimax value below are unchanged by either convention, and a uniform prior gives the endpoints measure zero. We do not identify an undefined with a value without specifying this choice.
With the uniform prior, the binomial likelihood gives the Beta distribution posterior . Under squared-error loss, the Bayes estimator is the posterior mean:
The production manager's prior gives posterior density proportional to . Minimizing gives the weighted posterior mean
using the supplied beta function. Cross multiplication shows exactly when , so it is greater unless .
The probability of no recovery through month is the product of the conditional survival probabilities, so
Under quadratic loss, the Bayes estimator is the posterior mean. Posterior independence and the mean of a Beta distribution give
Consequently
The risk of a decision rule is its expected loss at a fixed parameter value:
For a prior , a Bayes estimator minimizes the integrated risk
or equivalently minimizes posterior expected loss for almost every observation. A minimax decision rule minimizes
over all decision rules.