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Minimizing Sensitivity to Model Misspecification

Stéphane Bonhomme, Martin Weidner

arXiv 5 Jul 2018 · Econometrics · publishedQuantitative Economics (2022) · 35 citations (OpenAlex)

arXiv:1807.02161 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text

Abstract

We propose a framework for estimation and inference when the model may be misspecified. We rely on a local asymptotic approach where the degree of misspecification is indexed by the sample size. We construct estimators whose mean squared error is minimax in a neighborhood of the reference model, based on one-step adjustments. In addition, we provide confidence intervals that contain the true parameter under local misspecification. As a tool to interpret the degree of misspecification, we map it to the local power of a specification test of the reference model. Our approach allows for systematic sensitivity analysis when the parameter of interest may be partially or irregularly identified. As illustrations, we study three applications: an empirical analysis of the impact of conditional cash transfers in Mexico where misspecification stems from the presence of stigma effects of the program, a cross-sectional binary choice model where the error distribution is misspecified, and a dynamic panel data binary choice model where the number of time periods is small and the distribution of individual effects is misspecified.

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Cited by, within the corpus

arXiv econ.EM papers that cite this one, ranked by how heavily they lean on it.

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2Choosing What to Calibrate and What to Estimate in Structural Models0.87462
3Misspecification-Averse Estimation0.81142
4Learning What to Learn: Experimental Design when Combining Experimental with Observational Evidence0.73732
5You've Got to be Efficient: Ambiguity, Misspecification and Variational Preferences0.73732
6Sensitivity Analysis using Approximate Moment Condition Models0.64422
7Structural models for policy-making0.64422
8Counterfactual Sensitivity and Robustness0.51122
90.5 in Robust Forecasting0.51121
10Some models are useful, but when?: A decision-theoretic approach to choosing when to refit large-scale prediction models0.51121