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Bayesian Semiparametric Causal Inference: Targeted Doubly Robust Estimation of Treatment Effects

Gözde Sert, Abhishek Chakrabortty, Anirban Bhattacharya

arXiv 19 Nov 2025 · Statistics — Methodology

arXiv:2511.15904 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text

Abstract

We propose a semiparametric Bayesian methodology for estimating the average treatment effect (ATE) within the potential outcomes framework using observational data with high-dimensional nuisance parameters. Our method introduces a Bayesian debiasing procedure that corrects for bias arising from nuisance estimation and employs a targeted modeling strategy based on summary statistics rather than the full data. These summary statistics are identified in a debiased manner, enabling the estimation of nuisance bias via weighted observables and facilitating hierarchical learning of the ATE. By combining debiasing with sample splitting, our approach separates nuisance estimation from inference on the target parameter, reducing sensitivity to nuisance model specification. We establish that, under mild conditions, the marginal posterior for the ATE satisfies a Bernstein-von Mises theorem when both nuisance models are correctly specified and remains consistent and robust when only one is correct, achieving Bayesian double robustness. This ensures asymptotic efficiency and frequentist validity. Extensive simulations confirm the theoretical results, demonstrating accurate point estimation and credible intervals with nominal coverage, even in high-dimensional settings. The proposed framework can also be extended to other causal estimands, and its key principles offer a general foundation for advancing Bayesian semiparametric inference more broadly.

Citation extraction

39
references
120
in-text mentions
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distinct cited
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main-text words

appendix boundary found by appendix_titled_section at “Supplementary material” · 43% 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
1Kolyan Ray and Aad van der Vaart (2020) Semiparametric Bayesian causal inference1.000123100%
2Christoph Breunig, Ruixuan Liu, and Zhengfei Yu (2025) Double robust Bayesian inference on average treatment effects1.00083100%
3Victor Chernozhukov, Denis Chetverikov, Mert Demirer, Esther Duflo,… (2018) Double/debiased machine learning for treatment and structural parameters1.00053100%
4Jinyong Hahn (1998) On the role of the propensity score in efficient semiparametric estimation of average treatment effects0.92843100%
5Andrew Yiu, Edwin Fong, Chris Holmes, and Judith Rousseau (2025) Semiparametric posterior corrections0.87472100%
6Kolyan Ray and Botond Szabó (2019) Debiased Bayesian inference for average treatment effects0.87452100%
7Yu Luo, Daniel J Graham, and Emma J McCoy (2023) Semiparametric Bayesian doubly robust causal estimation0.84333100%
8Paul Rosenbaum and Donald Rubin (1984) Reducing bias in observational studies using subclassification on the propensity score0.84333100%
9Anastasios Tsiatis (2007) Semiparametric Theory and Missing Data0.84333100%
10Heejung Bang and James M Robins (2005) Doubly robust estimation in missing data and causal inference models0.81142100%

Showing the top 10 of 39 scored citations.