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4 results

Inference Based on Conditional Moment Inequalities

Econometrica 2013 81(2), 609-666
In this paper, we propose an instrumental variable approach to constructing confidence sets (CS's) for the true parameter in models defined by conditional moment inequalities/equalities. We show that by properly choosing instrument functions, one can transform conditional moment inequalities/equalities into unconditional ones without losing identification power. Based on the unconditional moment inequalities/equalities, we construct CS's by inverting Cramér–von Mises-type or Kolmogorov–Smirnov-type tests. Critical values are obtained using generalized moment selection (GMS) procedures. We show that the proposed CS's have correct uniform asymptotic coverage probabilities. New methods are required to establish these results because an infinite-dimensional nuisance parameter affects the asymptotic distributions. We show that the tests considered are consistent against all fixed alternatives and typically have power against n−1/2-local alternatives to some, but not all, sequences of distributions in the null hypothesis. Monte Carlo simulations for five different models show that the methods perform well in finite samples.

Simple Adaptive Size-Exact Testing for Full-Vector and Subvector Inference in Moment Inequality Models

Review of Economic Studies 2023 90(1), 201-228 open access
We propose a simple test for moment inequalities that has exact size in normal models with known variance and has uniformly asymptotically exact size under asymptotic normality. The test compares the quasi-likelihood ratio statistic to a chi-squared critical value, where the degree of freedom is the rank of the inequalities that are active in finite samples. The test requires no simulation and thus is computationally fast and especially suitable for constructing confidence sets for parameters by test inversion. It uses no tuning parameter for moment selection and yet still adapts to the slackness of the moment inequalities. Furthermore, we show how the test can be easily adapted to inference on subvectors in the common empirical setting of conditional moment inequalities with nuisance parameters entering linearly. User-friendly Matlab code to implement the test is provided.

Estimating Semi-Parametric Panel Multinomial Choice Models Using Cyclic Monotonicity

Econometrica 2018 86(2), 737-761
This paper proposes a new semi‐parametric identification and estimation approach to multinomial choice models in a panel data setting with individual fixed effects. Our approach is based on cyclic monotonicity, which is a defining convex‐analytic feature of the random utility framework underlying multinomial choice models. From the cyclic monotonicity property, we derive identifying inequalities without requiring any shape restrictions for the distribution of the random utility shocks. These inequalities point identify model parameters under straightforward assumptions on the covariates. We propose a consistent estimator based on these inequalities.

Can Words Get in the Way? The Effect of Deliberation in Collective Decision Making

Journal of Political Economy 2018 126(2), 688-734
We quantify the effect of deliberation on the decisions of US appellate courts. We estimate a model in which strategic judges communicate before casting their votes and then compare the probability of mistakes in the court with deliberation with a counterfactual of no communication. The model has multiple equilibria, and preferences and information parameters are only partially identified. We find that there is a range of parameters in the identified set—when judges tend to disagree ex ante or their private information is imprecise—in which deliberation can be beneficial; otherwise, deliberation reduces the effectiveness of the court.