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Testing the Exclusion Restriction in IV Models Using Non-Gaussianity: A LiNGAM-Based Approach

Fernando Delbianco

arXiv 13 Mar 2026 · Econometrics

arXiv:2603.13505 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text

Abstract

Instrumental variable (IV) methods rely critically on the exclusion restriction, which is untestable in exactly-identified models under standard assumptions. We propose a framework combining IV analysis with the LiNGAM method to test this restriction by exploiting non-Gaussianity in the data. Under non-Gaussian structural errors, the exclusion violation parameter is point-identified without additional instruments. Five complementary tests (bootstrap percentile, asymptotic normal, permutation, likelihood ratio, and independence-based) are introduced to assess the restriction under varying data conditions. Monte Carlo simulations and an empirical application to the Card (1995) dataset demonstrate controlled Type I error rates and reasonable power against economically relevant violations.

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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
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3Shimizu, S (2019) Non-Gaussian methods for causal structure learning0.73732100%
4Wang, Y. S. and Drton, M (2020) High-dimensional causal discovery under non-Gaussianity0.73732100%
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6Conley, Timothy G and Hansen, Christian B and Rossi, Peter E (2012) Plausibly exogenous0.64422100%
7Dieterle, Steven G and Snell, Andy (2016) A simple diagnostic to investigate instrument validity and heterogeneous effects when using a single instrument0.64422100%
8Kitagawa, Toru (2015) A test for instrument validity0.64422100%
9Li, Chunxiao and Rudin, Cynthia and McCormick, Tyler H (2022) Rethinking nonlinear instrumental variable models through prediction validity0.64422100%
10Mourifié, Ismaël and Wan, Yuanyuan (2017) Testing local average treatment effect assumptions0.64422100%

Showing the top 10 of 28 scored citations.