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...

Often researchers find parametric models restrictive and sensitive to deviations from the parametric specifications; semi-nonparametric models are more flexible and robust, but lead to other complications such as introducing infinite-dimensional parameter spaces that may not be compact and the...

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 chapter discusses structural econometric approaches to auctions. Remarkably, much of what can be learned from auction data can be learned without restrictions beyond those derived from the relevant economic model. This enables us to take a nonparametric perspective in discussing how the...

Concern over the distributional effects of policies which induce changes in peer group structure, or associational redistributions (Durlauf, 1996c), motivates a substantial body of theoretical and empirical research in economics, sociology, psychology, and education. A growing collection of...

We provide semiparametric identification results for a broad class of learning models in which continuous outcomes depend on three types of unobservables: i) known heterogeneity, ii) initially unknown heterogeneity that may be revealed over time, and iii) transitory uncertainty. We consider a...

This study estimates the impact of migrants’ remittances on households’ spending decisions in Ecuador. Applying both parametric and semiparametric techniques, we find strong evidence that remittances enhance expenditures on education, health, and housing, but decrease expenditures on food....

This paper is about the nonparametric regression of a choice variable on a nonlinear budget set under utility maximization with general heterogeneity, i.e. in the random utility model (RUM). We show that utility maximization and convex budget sets make this regression three dimensional with a...