One- and two-term edgeworth expansions for a finite population sample mean. Exact results. I

We prove the validity of one- and two-term Edgeworth expansions under optimal conditions (a Cramer-type smoothness condition and the minimal moment conditions) and provide precise bounds for the remainders of expansions. The bounds depend explicitly on the ratiop=N/n, whereN andn denote the sample size and the population size, respectively. Supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Published in Lietuvos Matematikos Rinkinys, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 277–294, July–September, 2000.