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...

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...

Given data on a scalar random variable 𝑌, a prediction set for 𝑌 with miscoverage level 𝛼 is a set of values for 𝑌 that contains a randomly drawn 𝑌 with probability 1 - 𝛼, where 𝛼 ∈ (0, 1). Among all prediction sets that satisfy this coverage property, the oracle...

This study revisits the macroeconomic determinants of non-performing loans using a deep neural network (DNN). We present the proposed DNN as a methodological framework that combines deep learning techniques and causal inference methods. We employ a rigorous triple-validation methodology that...

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...

This paper considers nonparametric estimation and inference in first-order autoregressive (AR(1)) models with deterministically time-varying parameters. A key feature of the proposed approach is to allow for time-varying stationarity in some time periods, time-varying nonstationarity (i.e., unit...

Exploiting exogenous natural variation to study the impact of hard-to-randomize policies based on instrumental variables (IVs) is a widespread research design in economics. The key identification assumption underlying this design is the exclusion restriction, requiring the IV to affect the...

Standard methods for constructing error bands around impulse response functions consider them in isolation, neglecting the estimation uncertainty that arises across variables and time horizons due to the joint nature of the underlying structural parameters. For example, one approach to assessing...

Algorithms are increasingly used to aid with high-stakes decision making. Yet, their predictive ability frequently exhibits systematic variation across population subgroups. To assess the trade-off between fairness and accuracy using finite data, we propose a debiased machine learning estimator...

We develop an indirect inference approach relying on a linear supply and demand model serving as an auxiliary model to provide the first full empirical test of the rational expectations commodity storage model. We build a rich storage model that incorporates a supply response and four structural...

The most widely used textbooks on Introductory Econometrics conflate three distinct population parameters: the population regression function (PRF), the conditional expectation function (CEF), and the causal effect. They also incorrectly suggest, and sometimes state, that the Conditional Mean...

We study the estimation of causal treatment effects on demand when treatment is randomly assigned but prices adjust in response to treatment. We show that regressions of demand on treatment or on treatment and price lead to biased estimates of the direct treatment effect. The bias in both cases...

Ibragimov, Kattuman, and Skrobotov (Econometric Reviews, 2025) propose a "t-statistic" approach to inference for inequality indices building on results provided by Ibragimov and Müller (Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, 2010), and they and Midões and de Crombrugghe (Journal of...

Star variables, such as potential output and the neutral real interest rate, are fundamental to economic policymaking but challenging to identify due to their latent nature. Buncic, Pagan, and Robinson (2023) highlight the difficulty of identifying star variables within short macroeconomic...

We use a rigorous three-stage many-analysts design to assess how different researcher decisions—specifically data cleaning, research design, and the interpretation of a policy question—affect the variation in estimated treatment effects. A total of 146 research teams each completed the same...

This paper proposes a subsampling inference method for extreme conditional quantiles based on a self-normalized version of a local estimator for conditional quantiles, such as the local linear quantile regression estimator. The proposed method circumvents difficulty of estimating nuisance...

A unified theory of estimation and inference is developed for an autoregressive process with root in (-∞, ∞) that includes the stationary, local-to-unity, explosive and all intermediate regions. The discontinuity of the limit distribution of the t-statistic outside the stationary region and...

This paper introduces Parameter Estimation by Raw Moments (PERM), a flexible method for evaluating a policy's impact on the parameters of an outcome distribution. Such parameters include the variance (E[Y 2 ]−E[Y] 2 ), skewness and covariance of two outcomes. PERM simplifies distributional...