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Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Identification

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Identification- And Singularity-Robust Inference For Moment Condition Models, Donald W.K. Andrews, Patrik Guggenberger Jan 2015

Identification- And Singularity-Robust Inference For Moment Condition Models, Donald W.K. Andrews, Patrik Guggenberger

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper introduces a new identification- and singularity-robust conditional quasi-likelihood ratio (SR-CQLR) test and a new identification- and singularity-robust Anderson and Rubin (1949) (SR-AR) test for linear and nonlinear moment condition models. Both tests are very fast to compute. The paper shows that the tests have correct asymptotic size and are asymptotically similar (in a uniform sense) under very weak conditions. For example, in i.i.d. scenarios, all that is required is that the moment functions and their derivatives have 2 + γ bounded moments for some γ > 0: No conditions are placed on the expected Jacobian of the moment functions, …


Asymptotic Size Of Kleibergen's Lm And Conditional Lr Tests For Moment Condition Models, Donald W.K. Andrews, Patrik Guggenberger Dec 2014

Asymptotic Size Of Kleibergen's Lm And Conditional Lr Tests For Moment Condition Models, Donald W.K. Andrews, Patrik Guggenberger

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

An influential paper by Kleibergen (2005) introduces Lagrange multiplier (LM) and conditional likelihood ratio-like (CLR) tests for nonlinear moment condition models. These procedures aim to have good size performance even when the parameters are unidentified or poorly identified. However, the asymptotic size and similarity (in a uniform sense) of these procedures has not been determined in the literature. This paper does so. This paper shows that the LM test has correct asymptotic size and is asymptotically similar for a suitably chosen parameter space of null distributions. It shows that the CLR tests also have these properties when the dimension p …


Threshold Regression With Endogeneity, Ping Yu, Peter C.B. Phillips Dec 2014

Threshold Regression With Endogeneity, Ping Yu, Peter C.B. Phillips

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper studies estimation and specification testing in threshold regression with endogeneity. Three key results differ from those in regular models. First, both the threshold point and the threshold effect parameters are shown to be identified without the need for instrumentation. Second, in partially linear threshold models, both parametric and nonparametric components rely on the same data, which prima facie suggests identification failure. But, as shown here, the discontinuity structure of the threshold itself supplies identifying information for the parametric coefficients without the need for extra randomness in the regressors. Third, instrumentation plays different roles in the estimation of the …


Identification And Estimation In Two-Sided Matching Markets, Nikhil Agarwal, William Diamond Aug 2013

Identification And Estimation In Two-Sided Matching Markets, Nikhil Agarwal, William Diamond

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We study estimation and non-parametric identification of preferences in two-sided matching markets using data from a single market with many agents. We consider a model in which preferences of each side of the market are vertical, utility is non-transferable and the observed matches are pairwise stable. We show that preferences are not identified with data on one-to-one matches but are non-parametrically identified when data from many-to-one matches are observed. The additional empirical content in many-to-one matches is illustrated by comparing two simulated objective functions, one that does and the other that does not use information available in many-to-one matching. We …


Gmm Estimation And Uniform Subvector Inference With Possible Identification Failure, Donald W.K. Andrews, Xu Cheng Oct 2011

Gmm Estimation And Uniform Subvector Inference With Possible Identification Failure, Donald W.K. Andrews, Xu Cheng

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper determines the properties of standard generalized method of moments (GMM) estimators, tests, and confidence sets (CS’s) in moment condition models in which some parameters are unidentified or weakly identified in part of the parameter space. The asymptotic distributions of GMM estimators are established under a full range of drifting sequences of true parameters and distributions. The asymptotic sizes (in a uniform sense) of standard GMM tests and CS’s are established. The paper also establishes the correct asymptotic sizes of “robust” GMM-based Wald, t , and quasi-likelihood ratio tests and CS’s whose critical values are designed to yield robustness …


Maximum Likelihood Estimation And Uniform Inference With Sporadic Identification Failure, Donald W.K. Andrews, Xu Cheng Oct 2011

Maximum Likelihood Estimation And Uniform Inference With Sporadic Identification Failure, Donald W.K. Andrews, Xu Cheng

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper analyzes the properties of a class of estimators, tests, and confidence sets (CS’s) when the parameters are not identified in parts of the parameter space. Specifically, we consider estimator criterion functions that are sample averages and are smooth functions of a parameter theta. This includes log likelihood, quasi-log likelihood, and least squares criterion functions. We determine the asymptotic distributions of estimators under lack of identification and under weak, semi-strong, and strong identification. We determine the asymptotic size (in a uniform sense) of standard t and quasi-likelihood ratio (QLR) tests and CS’s. We provide methods of constructing QLR tests …


Maximum Likelihood Estimation And Uniform Inference With Sporadic Identification Failure, Donald W.K. Andrews, Xu Cheng Oct 2011

Maximum Likelihood Estimation And Uniform Inference With Sporadic Identification Failure, Donald W.K. Andrews, Xu Cheng

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper analyzes the properties of a class of estimators, tests, and confidence sets (CS’s) when the parameters are not identified in parts of the parameter space. Specifically, we consider estimator criterion functions that are sample averages and are smooth functions of a parameter theta. This includes log likelihood, quasi-log likelihood, and least squares criterion functions. We determine the asymptotic distributions of estimators under lack of identification and under weak, semi-strong, and strong identification. We determine the asymptotic size (in a uniform sense) of standard t and quasi-likelihood ratio (QLR) tests and CS’s. We provide methods of constructing QLR tests …


Gmm Estimation And Uniform Subvector Inference With Possible Identification Failure, Donald W.K. Andrews, Xu Cheng Oct 2011

Gmm Estimation And Uniform Subvector Inference With Possible Identification Failure, Donald W.K. Andrews, Xu Cheng

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper determines the properties of standard generalized method of moments (GMM) estimators, tests, and confidence sets (CS’s) in moment condition models in which some parameters are unidentified or weakly identified in part of the parameter space. The asymptotic distributions of GMM estimators are established under a full range of drifting sequences of true parameters and distributions. The asymptotic sizes (in a uniform sense) of standard GMM tests and CS’s are established. The paper also establishes the correct asymptotic sizes of “robust” GMM-based Wald, t; and quasi-likelihood ratio tests and CS’s whose critical values are designed to yield robustness to …


Robust Predictions In Games With Incomplete Information, Dirk Bergemann, Stephen Morris Sep 2011

Robust Predictions In Games With Incomplete Information, Dirk Bergemann, Stephen Morris

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We analyze games of incomplete information and offer equilibrium predictions which are valid for all possible private information structures that the agents may have. Our characterization of these robust predictions relies on an epistemic result which establishes a relationship between the set of Bayes Nash equilibria and the set of Bayes correlated equilibria. We completely characterize the set of Bayes correlated equilibria in a class of games with quadratic payoffs and normally distributed uncertainty in terms of restrictions on the first and second moments of the equilibrium action-state distribution. We derive exact bounds on how prior information of the analyst …


Robust Predictions In Games With Incomplete Information, Dirk Bergemann, Stephen Morris Sep 2011

Robust Predictions In Games With Incomplete Information, Dirk Bergemann, Stephen Morris

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We analyze games of incomplete information and offer equilibrium predictions which are valid for, and in this sense robust to, all possible private information structures that the agents may have. The set of outcomes that can arise in equilibrium for some information structure is equal to the set of Bayes correlated equilibria. We completely characterize the set of Bayes correlated equilibria in a class of games with quadratic payoffs and normally distributed uncertainty in terms of restrictions on the first and second moments of the equilibrium action-state distribution. We derive exact bounds on how prior knowledge about the private information …


Robust Predictions In Games With Incomplete Information, Dirk Bergemann, Stephen Morris Sep 2011

Robust Predictions In Games With Incomplete Information, Dirk Bergemann, Stephen Morris

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We analyze games of incomplete information and offer equilibrium predictions which are valid for, and in this sense robust to, all possible private information structures that the agents may have. We completely characterize the set of Bayes correlated equilibria in a class of games with quadratic payoffs and normally distributed uncertainty in terms of restrictions on the first and second moments of the equilibrium action-state distribution. We derive exact bounds on how prior knowledge about the private information refines the set of equilibrium predictions. We consider information sharing among firms under demand uncertainty and find newly optimal information policies via …


Robust Predictions In Games With Incomplete Information, Dirk Bergemann, Stephen Morris Sep 2011

Robust Predictions In Games With Incomplete Information, Dirk Bergemann, Stephen Morris

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We analyze games of incomplete information and offer equilibrium predictions which are valid for, and in this sense robust to, all possible private information structures that the agents may have. We completely characterize the set of Bayes correlated equilibria in a class of games with quadratic payoffs and normally distributed uncertainty in terms of restrictions on the first and second moments of the equilibrium action-state distribution. We derive exact bounds on how prior knowledge about the private information refines the set of equilibrium predictions. We consider information sharing among firms under demand uncertainty and find newly optimal information policies via …


Examples Of L 2 -Complete And Boundedly-Complete Distributions, Donald W.K. Andrews May 2011

Examples Of L 2 -Complete And Boundedly-Complete Distributions, Donald W.K. Andrews

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Completeness and bounded-completeness conditions are used increasingly in econometrics to obtain nonparametric identification in a variety of models from nonparametric instrumental variable regression to non-classical measurement error models. However, distributions that are known to be complete or boundedly complete are somewhat scarce. In this paper, we consider an L 2 -completeness condition that lies between completeness and bounded completeness. We construct broad (nonparametric) classes of distributions that are L 2 -complete and boundedly complete. The distributions can have any marginal distributions and a wide range of strengths of dependence. Examples of L 2 -incomplete distributions also are provided.


Local Identification Of Nonparametric And Semiparametric Models, Xiaohong Chen, Victor Chernozhukov, Sokbae Lee, Whitney Newey Apr 2011

Local Identification Of Nonparametric And Semiparametric Models, Xiaohong Chen, Victor Chernozhukov, Sokbae Lee, Whitney Newey

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

In parametric models a sufficient condition for local identification is that the vector of moment conditions is differentiable at the true parameter with full rank derivative matrix. We show that additional conditions are often needed in nonlinear, nonparametric models to avoid nonlinearities overwhelming linear effects. We give restrictions on a neighborhood of the true value that are sufficient for local identification. We apply these results to obtain new, primitive identification conditions in several important models, including nonseparable quantile instrumental variable (IV) models, single-index IV models, and semiparametric consumption-based asset pricing models.


Local Identification Of Nonparametric And Semiparametric Models, Xiaohong Chen, Victor Chernozhukov, Sokbae Lee, Whitney Newey Apr 2011

Local Identification Of Nonparametric And Semiparametric Models, Xiaohong Chen, Victor Chernozhukov, Sokbae Lee, Whitney Newey

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

In parametric models a sufficient condition for local identification is that the vector of moment conditions is differentiable at the true parameter with full rank derivative matrix. We show that there are corresponding sufficient conditions for nonparametric models. A nonparametric rank condition and differentiability of the moment conditions with respect to a certain norm imply local identification. It turns out these conditions are slightly stronger than needed and are hard to check, so we provide weaker and more primitive conditions. We extend the results to semiparametric models. We illustrate the sufficient conditions with endogenous quantile and single index examples. We …


Identification- And Singularity-Robust Inference For Moment Condition Models, Donald W.K. Andrews, Patrik Guggenberger Mar 2011

Identification- And Singularity-Robust Inference For Moment Condition Models, Donald W.K. Andrews, Patrik Guggenberger

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper introduces two new identification- and singularity-robust conditional quasi-likelihood ratio (SR-CQLR) tests and a new identification- and singularity-robust Anderson and Rubin (1949) (SR-AR) test for linear and nonlinear moment condition models. The paper shows that the tests have correct asymptotic size and are asymptotically similar (in a uniform sense) under very weak conditions. For two of the three tests, all that is required is that the moment functions and their derivatives have 2 + γ bounded moments for some γ > 0 in i.i.d. scenarios. In stationary strong mixing time series cases, the same condition suffices, but the magnitude of …


Identification- And Singularity-Robust Inference For Moment Condition Models, Donald W.K. Andrews, Patrik Guggenberger Mar 2011

Identification- And Singularity-Robust Inference For Moment Condition Models, Donald W.K. Andrews, Patrik Guggenberger

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper introduces a new identification- and singularity-robust conditional quasi-likelihood ratio (SR-CQLR) test and a new identification- and singularity-robust Anderson and Rubin (1949) (SR-AR) test for linear and nonlinear moment condition models. Both tests are very fast to compute. The paper shows that the tests have correct asymptotic size and are asymptotically similar (in a uniform sense) under very weak conditions. For example, in i.i.d. scenarios, all that is required is that the moment functions and their derivatives have 2+γ bounded moments for some γ>0. No conditions are placed on the expected Jacobian of the moment functions, on the …


Estimation And Inference With Weak, Semi-Strong, And Strong Identification, Donald W.K. Andrews, Xu Cheng Oct 2010

Estimation And Inference With Weak, Semi-Strong, And Strong Identification, Donald W.K. Andrews, Xu Cheng

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper analyzes the properties of standard estimators, tests, and confidence sets (CS’s) in a class of models in which the parameters are unidentified or weakly identified in some parts of the parameter space. The paper also introduces methods to make the tests and CS’s robust to such identification problems. The results apply to a class of extremum estimators and corresponding tests and CS’s, including maximum likelihood (ML), least squares (LS), quantile, generalized method of moments (GMM), generalized empirical likelihood (GEL), minimum distance (MD), and semi-parametric estimators. The consistency/lack-of-consistency and asymptotic distributions of the estimators are established under a full …


Estimation And Inference With Weak, Semi-Strong, And Strong Identification, Donald W.K. Andrews, Xu Cheng Jun 2010

Estimation And Inference With Weak, Semi-Strong, And Strong Identification, Donald W.K. Andrews, Xu Cheng

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper analyzes the properties of standard estimators, tests, and confidence sets (CS’s) for parameters that are unidentified or weakly identified in some parts of the parameter space. The paper also introduces methods to make the tests and CS’s robust to such identification problems. The results apply to a class of extremum estimators and corresponding tests and CS’s that are based on criterion functions that satisfy certain asymptotic stochastic quadratic expansions and that depend on the parameter that determines the strength of identification. This covers a class of models estimated using maximum likelihood (ML), least squares (LS), quantile, generalized method …


Empirical Models Of Auctions, Susan Athey, Philip A. Haile Mar 2006

Empirical Models Of Auctions, Susan Athey, Philip A. Haile

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Many important economic questions arising in auctions can be answered only with knowledge of the underlying primitive distributions governing bidder demand and information. An active literature has developed aiming to estimate these primitives by exploiting restrictions from economic theory as part of the econometric model used to interpret auction data. We review some highlights of this recent literature, focusing on identification and empirical applications. We describe three insights that underlie much of the recent methodological progress in this area and discuss some of the ways these insights have been extended to richer models allowing more convincing empirical applications. We discuss …


Nonparametric And Distribution-Free Estimation Of The Binary Choice And The Threshold-Crossing Models, Rosa L. Matzkin Sep 1988

Nonparametric And Distribution-Free Estimation Of The Binary Choice And The Threshold-Crossing Models, Rosa L. Matzkin

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper studies the problem of nonparametric identification and estimation of binary threshold-crossing and binary choice models. First, conditions are given that guarantee the nonparametric identification of both the function of exogenous observable variables and the distribution of the random terms. Second, the identification results are employed to develop strongly consistent estimation methods that are nonparametric in both the function of observable exogenous variables and the distribution of the unobservable random variables. The estimators are obtained by maximizing a likelihood function over nonparametric sets of functions. A two-step constrained optimization procedure is devised to compute these estimators.


Partially Identified Econometric Models, Peter C.B. Phillips Jul 1987

Partially Identified Econometric Models, Peter C.B. Phillips

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper studies a class of models where full identification is not necessarily assumed. We term such models partially identified. It is argued that partially identified systems are of practical importance since empirical investigators frequently proceed under conditions that are best described as apparent identification. One objective of the paper is to explore the properties of conventional statistical procedures in the context of identification failure. Our analysis concentrates on two major types of partially identified model: the classic simultaneous equations model under rank condition failures; and time series spurious regressions. Both types serve to illustrate the extensions that are needed …