Estimation of a regular conditional functional by conditional U-statistics regression

Abstract: U-statistics constitute a large class of estimators, generalizing the empirical mean of a random variable $X$ to sums over every $k$-tuple of distinct observations of $X$. They may be used to estimate a regular functional $\theta(P_{X})$ of the law of $X$. When a vector of covariates $Z$ is available, a conditional U-statistic may describe the effect of $z$ on the conditional law of $X$ given $Z=z$, by estimating a regular conditional functional $\theta(P_{X|Z=\cdot})$. We prove concentration inequalities for conditional U-statistics. Assuming a parametric model of the conditional functional of interest, we propose a regression-type estimator based on conditional U-statistics. Its theoretical properties are derived, first in a non-asymptotic framework and then in two different asymptotic regimes. Some examples are given to illustrate our methods.