In this paper we investigate two classes of exponential dispersion models (EDMs) for overdispersed count data with respect to the Poisson distribution. The first is a class of Poisson mixture with positive Tweedie mixing distributions. As an approximation (in terms of unit variance function) of the first, the second is a new class of EDMs characterized by their unit variance functions of the form µ + µp, where p is a real index related to a precise model. These two classes provide some alternatives to the negative binomial distribution ( p= 2) which is classically used in the framework of regression models for count data when overdispersion results in a lack of fit of the Poisson regression model. Some properties are then studied and the practical usefulness is also discussed.

Peer Reviewed