We approximate the finite-sample distribution of impulse response function (IRF) estimators that are just-identified with a weak instrument using the conventional local-to-zero asymptotic framework. Since the distribution lacks a mean, we assess bias using the mode and conclude that researchers...

The paper derives and proves results of Gaussian maximum likelihood estimation of constant unknowns (coefficients, covariances) and time-varying unknowns (factors, disturbances) of static and dynamic factor models and, thereby, extends the statistics and econometrics literatures on estimation...

This paper provides a critical examination of the empirical basis of the output convergence debate in the light of recent developments in the analysis of dynamic heterogeneous panels with interactive effects. It shows that popular tools such as Barro's cross-country regressions and two-way fixed...

Sequence-space models are becoming increasingly popular in macroeconomics, especially in the heterogeneous-agent literature. However, the econometric toolkit for users of these models remains less developed than that available for traditional state-space methods. This note introduces an...

It is well known that standard frequentist inference breaks down in IV regressions with weak instruments. Bayesian inference with diffuse priors suffers from the same problem. We show that the issue arises because flat priors on the first-stage coefficients overstate instrument strength. In...

In structural vector autoregressive analysis it has become quite popular to identify some structural shocks of interest by external instruments or proxies. This study points out a range of areas where such proxies have been used and sketches the way the proxies have been constructed. It reviews...

We propose a nonparametric framework for estimating the extremal index that captures the persistence of extreme observations. The framework provides unified and simple procedures for verifying the well-known local dependence condition D(ᵈ) (un), which characterizes the extremal index yet is...

This paper by Blueprint Director Joshua Angrist, Alberto Abadie, Brigham Frandsen, and Jörn-Steffen Pischke surveys econometric innovations related to differences-in-differences estimators and to event-study models with time-varying treatment effects. The researchers discussion highlights...

The rare access to exact official geocoordinates opens new methodological possibilities for analyzing highly sensitive tax data. We explore their visualization potential and systematically evaluate aggregation as an anonymization strategy, with particular attention to its methodological and...

The availability of geocoordinates offers valuable insights into spatial patterns of economic, demographic and health outcomes. However, disclosing the exact geolocation of statistical units to secondary analysts contravenes the responsible use of data. To protect privacy, anonymisation methods...

The problem with FDI flows is that zero or negative flows are being ignored or handled differently. This paper modifies the heterogeneous firm model proposed by Helpman et al. (2008) and examines the determinants of the bilateral outward foreign direct investment (FDI) flows. Given the...

We present the R package MSTest, which implements hypothesis testing procedures to determine the number of regimes in Markov switching models. These models have wide ranging applications in economics, finance, and many other fields. MSTest provides several testing frameworks, including Monte...

Statistical inference-both estimation and testing-for stochastic volatility (SV) models is known to be challenging and computationally demanding. We propose simple and efficient estimators for SV models with conditionally heavy-tailed error distributions, particularly the Student's t and...

This study proposes a regression-based estimation method in difference-in-differences settings in the presence of time-varying covariates - a scenario commonly encountered in applications. We impose only a conditional parallel trends assumption with time-varying covariates and plausible...

Difference-in-differences (DiD) is one of the most popular approaches for empirical research in economics, political science, and beyond. Identification in these models is based on the conditional parallel trends assumption: In the absence of treatment, the average outcome of the treated and...

A central question in class action litigation is all or nearly all proposed class members were injured by the alleged conduct, that is, does "common impact" exist. In this paper, we demonstrate that a two-step econometric methodology can be used to estimate customer-level overcharges, providing...