Chew Soo Hong, A Generalization of the Quasilinear Mean with Applications to the Measurement of Income Inequality and Decision Theory Resolving the Allais Paradox, Econometrica, Vol. 51, No. 4 (Jul., 1983), pp. 1065-1092
This paper proposes three classes of consistent tests for serial correlation of the residuals from a linear dynamic regression model. The tests are obtained by comparing a kernel-based spectral density estimator and the null spectral density using three divergence measures. The null normal distributions are invariant whether the regressors include lagged dependent variables. Both asymptotic local and global power properties are investigated. G. Box and D. Pierce's (1970) test can be viewed as a test based on the truncated kernel; many other kernels deliver better power than Box and Pierce's test. A simulation study shows that the new tests have good power against weak and strong dependence. Copyright 1996 by The Econometric Society.
Entropy is a classical statistical concept with appealing properties. Establishing asymptotic distribution theory for smoothed nonparametric entropy measures of dependence has so far proved challenging. In this paper, we develop an asymptotic theory for a class of kernel-based smoothed nonparametric entropy measures of serial dependence in a time-series context. We use this theory to derive the limiting distribution of Granger and Lin's (1994) normalized entropy measure of serial dependence, which was previously not available in the literature. We also apply our theory to construct a new entropy-based test for serial dependence, providing an alternative to Robinson's (1991) approach. To obtain accurate inferences, we propose and justify a consistent smoothed bootstrap procedure. The naive bootstrap is not consistent for our test. Our test is useful in, for example, testing the random walk hypothesis, evaluating density forecasts, and identifying important lags of a time series. It is asymptotically locally more powerful than Robinson's (1991) test, as is confirmed in our simulation. An application to the daily S&P 500 stock price index illustrates our approach.
Wavelet analysis is a new mathematical method developed as a unified field of science over the last decade or so. As a spatially adaptive analytic tool, wavelets are useful for capturing serial correlation where the spectrum has peaks or kinks, as can arise from persistent dependence, seasonality, and other kinds of periodicity. This paper proposes a new class of generally applicable wavelet-based tests for serial correlation of unknown form in the estimated residuals of a panel regression model, where error components can be one-way or two-way, individual and time effects can be fixed or random, and regressors may contain lagged dependent variables or deterministic/stochastic trending variables. Our tests are applicable to unbalanced heterogenous panel data. They have a convenient null limit N(0,1) distribution. No formulation of an alternative model is required, and our tests are consistent against serial correlation of unknown form even in the presence of substantial inhomogeneity in serial correlation across individuals. This is in contrast to existing serial correlation tests for panel models, which ignore inhomogeneity in serial correlation across individuals by assuming a common alternative, and thus have no power against the alternatives where the average of serial correlations among individuals is close to zero. We propose and justify a data-driven method to choose the smoothing parameter—the finest scale in wavelet spectral estimation, making the tests completely operational in practice. The data-driven finest scale automatically converges to zero under the null hypothesis of no serial correlation and diverges to infinity as the sample size increases under the alternative, ensuring the consistency of our tests. Simulation shows that our tests perform well in small and finite samples relative to some existing tests.
This paper analyzes the linear regression model y = x + with a conditional median assumption Med( j z) = 0 where z is a vector of exogenous random variables. Added complication arise due to the censoring of the outcome y. We treat the censored model as a model with interval-observed outcomes thus obtaining an incomplete model with inequality restrictions on conditional median regressions. This allows us to use the estimator introduced by Manski and Tamer (2000) to analyze the information contained in these inequality restrictions. We give identication conditions in the absence of censoring and introduce a p N-consistent estimator based on the minimum distance method. We then give suÆcient conditions for global identication of with censored y and endogenous x. In the case of interval data on y and endogenous x, we provide a set-consistent estimator that is based on a modied minimum distance method. In the case where we have point identication, we show that the estimator is p N-normal and derive its asymptotic distribution with a feasible asymptotic variance. A Montecarlo analysis illustrates our estimator. We thank Bo Honore for comments and the Econometrics Research Program at Princeton for support.
This paper proposes two consistent one-sided specification tests for parametric regression models, one based on the sample covariance between the residual from the parametric model and the discrepancy between the parametric and nonparametric fitted values; the other based on the difference in sums of squared residuals between the parametric and nonparametric models. We estimate the nonparametric model by series regression
We discuss the identification and estimation of discrete games of complete information. Following Bresnahan and Reiss (1990, 1991), a discrete game is a generalization of a standard discrete choice model where utility depends on the actions of other players. Using recent algorithms to compute all of the Nash equilibria to a game, we propose simulation-based estimators for static, discrete games. We demonstrate that the model is identified under weak functional form assumptions using exclusion restrictions and an identification at infinity approach. Monte Carlo evidence demonstrates that the estimator can perform well in moderately sized samples. As an application, we study entry decisions by construction contractors to bid on highway projects in California. We find that an equilibrium is more likely to be observed if it maximizes joint profits, has a higher Nash product, uses mixed strategies, and is not Pareto dominated by another equilibrium.
Checking parameter stability of econometric models is a long-standing problem. Almost all existing structural change tests in econometrics are designed to detect abrupt breaks. Little attention has been paid to smooth structural changes, which may be more realistic in economics. We propose a consistent test for smooth structural changes as well as abrupt structural breaks with known or unknown change points. The idea is to estimate smooth time-varying parameters by local smoothing and compare the fitted values of the restricted constant parameter model and the unrestricted time-varying parameter model. The test is asymptotically pivotal and does not require prior information about the alternative. A simulation study highlights the merits of the proposed test relative to a variety of popular tests for structural changes. In an application, we strongly reject the stability of univariate and multivariate stock return prediction models in the postwar and post-oil-shocks periods.
We study inference in structural models with a jump in the conditional density, where location and size of the jump are described by regression curves. Two prominent examples are auction models, where the bid density jumps from zero to a positive value at the lowest cost, and equilibrium job-search models, where the wage density jumps from one positive level to another at the reservation wage. General inference in such models remained a long-standing, unresolved problem, primarily due to nonregularities and computational difficulties caused by discontinuous likelihood functions. This paper develops likelihood-based estimation and inference methods for these models, focusing on optimal (Bayes) and maximum likelihood procedures. We derive convergence rates and distribution theory, and develop Bayes and Wald inference. We show that Bayes estimators and confidence intervals are attractive both theoretically and computationally, and that Bayes confidence intervals, based on posterior quantiles, provide a valid large sample inference method.