*Article* **Contingency Table Analysis and Inference via Double Index Measures**

**Christos Meselidis \* and Alex Karagrigoriou**

Laboratory of Statistics and Data Analysis, Department of Statistics and Actuarial-Financial Mathematics, University of the Aegean, Karlovasi, GR-83200 Samos, Greece; alex.karagrigoriou@aegean.gr

**\*** Correspondence: meselidis@aegean.gr

**Abstract:** In this work, we focus on a general family of measures of divergence for estimation and testing with emphasis on conditional independence in cross tabulations. For this purpose, a restricted minimum divergence estimator is used for the estimation of parameters under constraints and a new double index (dual) divergence test statistic is introduced and thoroughly examined. The associated asymptotic theory is provided and the advantages and practical implications are explored via simulation studies.

**Keywords:** double index divergence test statistic; multivariate data analysis; conditional independence; cross tabulations
