Statistical inference can be described as the process of drawing conclusions about a population or process based on sample data. This chapter outlines the logic of “classical” or “frequentist” methods for such inference. Three commonly used concepts for assessing statistical error are...

Models defined by moment inequalities have become a standard modeling framework for empirical economists, spreading over a wide range of fields within economics. From the point of view of an empirical researcher, the literature on inference in moment inequality models is large and complex,...

Standard variable-selection procedures, primarily developed for the construction of outcome prediction models, are routinely applied when assessing exposure e®ects in observational studies. We argue that this tradition is sub-optimal and prone to yield bias in exposure effect estimates as well...

The idea that simplicity matters in science is as old as science itself, with the much cited example of Ockham's Razor, 'entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem': entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity. Using a multidisciplinary perspective this monograph asks 'What is...