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Reinforcing RCTs with Multiple Priors while Learning about External Validity

Frederico Finan, Demian Pouzo

arXiv 16 Dec 2021 · Econometrics

arXiv:2112.09170 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text

Abstract

This paper introduces a framework for incorporating prior information into the design of sequential experiments. These sources may include past experiments, expert opinions, or the experimenter's intuition. We model the problem using a multi-prior Bayesian approach, mapping each source to a Bayesian model and aggregating them based on posterior probabilities. Policies are evaluated on three criteria: learning the parameters of payoff distributions, the probability of choosing the wrong treatment, and average rewards. Our framework demonstrates several desirable properties, including robustness to sources lacking external validity, while maintaining strong finite sample performance.

Citation extraction

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appendix boundary found by appendix_command · 53% of the source is main text. Read the extracted text to check this.

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
1Thompson, W. R (1933) On the likelihood that one unknown probability exceeds another in view of the evidence of two samples0.5112250%
2Karlan, D. and List, J. A (2007) Does price matter in charitable giving? evidence from a large-scale natural field experiment0.51121100%
3Karlan, D. and List, J. A (2020) How can bill and melinda gates increase other people's donations to fund public goods?0.51121100%
4Agrawal, S. and Goyal, N (2017) Near-optimal regret bounds for thompson sampling0.40511100%
5Athey, S. and Imbens, G (2019) Machine learning methods economists should know about0.40511100%
6Bisbee, J., Dehejia, R., Pop-Eleches, C., and Samii, C (2017) Local instruments, global extrapolation: External validity of the labor supply–fertility local average treatment effect0.40511100%
7Buchanan, A. L., Hudgens, M. G., Cole, S. R., Mollan, K. R., Sax, P.… (2018) Generalizing evidence from randomized trials using inverse probability of sampling weights0.40511100%
8Dehejia, R., Pop-Eleches, C., and Samii, C (2021) From local to global: External validity in a fertility natural experiment0.40511100%
9DellaVigna, S. and Pope, D (2018) Predicting experimental results: Who knows what?0.40511100%
10DellaVigna, S., Otis, N., and Vivalt, E (2020) Forecasting the results of experiments: Piloting an elicitation strategy0.40511100%

Showing the top 10 of 34 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
1Continuous time asymptotic representations for adaptive experiments0.40511
20.5 in Using Prior Studies to Design Experiments: An Empirical Bayes Approach0.40511