In nonparametric instrumental variables estimation, the mapping that identifies the function of interest, g, is discontinuous and must be regularized to permit consistent estimation. The optimal regularization parameter depends on population characteristics that are unknown in applications. This...

Existing indices of residential segregation are based on a partition of the city in neighborhoods: given a spatial distribution of racial groups, the index measures different segregation levels for different partitions. I propose a spatial approach, which estimates segregation at the individual...

This paper studies the asymptotic properties of partitioning estimators of the conditional expectation function and its derivatives. Mean-square and uniform convergence rates are established and shown to be optimal under simple and intuitive conditions. The uniform rate explicitly accounts for...

We derive general, yet simple, sharp bounds on the size of the omitted variable bias for a broad class of causal parameters that can be identified as linear functionals of the conditional expectation function of the outcome. Such functionals encompass many of the traditional targets of...

We use a panel survey of ~19,000 primary-school-aged children in rural Tamil Nadu to study 'learning loss' after COVID-19-induced school closures, and the pace of recovery after schools reopened. Students tested in December 2021 (18 months after school closures) displayed learning deficits of...

Inverse problems can be described as functional equations where the value of the function is known or easily estimable but the argument is unknown. Many problems in econometrics can be stated in the form of inverse problems where the argument itself is a function. For example, consider a...

This chapter reviews recent advances in nonparametric and semiparametric estimation, with an emphasis on applicability to empirical research and on resolving issues that arise in implementation. It considers techniques for estimating densities, conditional mean functions, derivatives of...

This paper assesses the strength of productivity spillovers non-parametrically in a data-set of 12 industries and 231 NUTS2 regions in 17 European Union member countries between 1992 and 2006. It devotes particular attention to measuring catching up through spillovers depending on the technology...

This article aims to estimate the informational rents earned by winning bidders in oil and gas exploration and production auctions in Brazil. We estimate the distributions of bids and bidders' private valuations using a nonparametric structural model and assuming independence and asymmetry...

Frontier estimation appears in productivity analysis. Firm’s performance is measured by the distance between its output and an optimal production frontier. Frontier estimation becomes difficult if outputs are measured with noise and most approaches rely on restrictive parametric assumptions....