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Optimal Dynamic Treatment Regimes and Partial Welfare Ordering

Sukjin Han

arXiv 20 Dec 2019 · Econometrics · publishedJournal of the American Statistical Association (2023) · 16 citations (OpenAlex)

arXiv:1912.10014 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text

Abstract

Dynamic treatment regimes are treatment allocations tailored to heterogeneous individuals. The optimal dynamic treatment regime is a regime that maximizes counterfactual welfare. We introduce a framework in which we can partially learn the optimal dynamic regime from observational data, relaxing the sequential randomization assumption commonly employed in the literature but instead using (binary) instrumental variables. We propose the notion of sharp partial ordering of counterfactual welfares with respect to dynamic regimes and establish mapping from data to partial ordering via a set of linear programs. We then characterize the identified set of the optimal regime as the set of maximal elements associated with the partial ordering. We relate the notion of partial ordering with a more conventional notion of partial identification using topological sorts. Practically, topological sorts can be served as a policy benchmark for a policymaker. We apply our method to understand returns to schooling and post-school training as a sequence of treatments by combining data from multiple sources. The framework of this paper can be used beyond the current context, e.g., in establishing rankings of multiple treatments or policies across different counterfactual scenarios.

Citation extraction

61
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Most heavily cited references

The works this paper leans on most, across its whole bibliography — not restricted to papers in our corpus. Ranked by composite intensity, which combines how often a work is mentioned, how many sections mention it, and how much of that falls in the main text rather than the appendix.

ReferenceIntensityMentionsSectionsMain text
1Murphy, S. A., M. J. van der Laan, J. M. Robins, and C. P. P. R. Group (2001) Marginal mean models for dynamic regimes0.8434375%
2Murphy, S. A (2003) Optimal dynamic treatment regimes0.8435360%
3Kitagawa, T. and A. Tetenov (2018) Who should be treated? empirical welfare maximization methods for treatment choice0.84333100%
4Cui, Y. and E. Tchetgen Tchetgen (2020) A semiparametric instrumental variable approach to optimal treatment regimes under endogeneity0.73732100%
5Han, S self0.73732100%
6Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group (1992) A developmental and clinical model for the prevention of conduct disorder: The FAST Track Program0.64422100%
7Deb, R., Y. Kitamura, J. K.-H. Quah, and J. Stoye (2017) Revealed price preference: Theory and stochastic testing0.64422100%
8Imbens, G. W. and J. D. Angrist (1994) Identification and Estimation of Local Average Treatment Effects0.64422100%
9Johnson, R. C. and C. K. Jackson (2019) Reducing inequality through dynamic complementarity: Evidence from Head Start and public school spending0.64422100%
10Machado, C., A. Shaikh, and E. Vytlacil (2019) Instrumental variables and the sign of the average treatment effect0.64422100%

Showing the top 10 of 61 scored citations.

Cited by, within the corpus

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

Citing paperIntensityMentionsSections
1Inference for Interval-Identified Parameters Selected from an Estimated Set1.000133
2Dynamic Local Average Treatment Effects0.87452
3Orthogonal Policy Learning Under Ambiguity0.81142
4A Computational Approach to Identification of Treatment Effects for Policy Evaluation0.64422
5Policy Learning with Distributional Welfare0.64422
6Set-Valued Control Functions0.64422
7Identification and Debiased Learning of Causal Effects with General Instrumental Variables0.58531
8Comment: Individualized Treatment Rules Under Endogeneity0.40511
9Estimating and Improving Dynamic Treatment Regimes With a Time-Varying Instrumental Variable0.40511
10Estimation of Optimal Dynamic Treatment Assignment Rules under Policy Constraints0.40511