Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-9pm4c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T13:53:57.934Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

DEMAND ANALYSIS AS AN ILL-POSED INVERSE PROBLEM WITH SEMIPARAMETRIC SPECIFICATION

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2010

Stefan Hoderlein*
Affiliation:
Brown University
Hajo Holzmann
Affiliation:
Marburg University
*
*Address correspondence to Stefan Hoderlein, Department of Economics, Box B, Providence, RI 02912, USA; e-mail: stefan_hoderlein@yahoo.com.

Abstract

In this paper we are concerned with analyzing the behavior of a semiparametric estimator that corrects for endogeneity in a nonparametric regression by assuming mean independence of residuals from instruments only. Because it is common in many applications, we focus on the case where endogenous regressors and additional instruments are jointly normal, conditional on exogenous regressors. This leads to a severely ill-posed inverse problem. In this setup, we show first how to test for conditional normality. More importantly, we then establish how to exploit this knowledge when constructing an estimator, and we derive the large sample behavior of such an estimator. In addition, in a Monte Carlo experiment we analyze its finite sample behavior. Our application comes from consumer demand. We obtain new and interesting findings that highlight both the advantages and the difficulties of an approach that leads to ill-posed inverse problems. Finally, we discuss the somewhat problematic relationship between endogenous nonparametric regression models and the recently emphasized issue of unobserved heterogeneity in structural models.

Type
ARTICLES
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Aït-Sahalia, Y., Bickel, P.J., & Stoker, T.M. (2001) Goodness-of-fit tests for kernel regression with an application to option implied volatilities. Journal of Econometrics 105, 363412.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blondin, D. (2007) Rates of strong uniform convergence for local least squares kernel regression estimators. Statistics & Probability Letters 77, 15261534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blundell, R., Chen, X., & Kristensen, D. (2007) Semi-nonparametric IV estimation of shape-invariant Engel curves. Econometrica 75, 16131669.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, B. & Walker, I. (1989) The random utility hypothesis and inference in demand systems. Econometrica 57, 815829.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carrasco, M., Florens, J.-P., & Renault, E. (2005) Linear inverse problems in structural econometrics: Estimation based on spectral decomposition and regularization. In Heckman, J.J. & Leamer, E.E. (eds.), Handbook of Econometrics, vol. 6, pp. 56335751. Elsevier.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cavalier, L. & Tsybakov, A. (2002) Sharp adaptation for inverse problems with random noise, Probability Theory and Related Fields 123, 323354.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Darolles, S., Florens, J.-P., & Renault, E. (2006) Nonparametric Instrumental Regression. Working Paper, Toulouse.Google Scholar
Delgado, M.A. & Stute, W. (2008) Distribution-free specification tests of conditional models. Journal of Econometrics 143, 3755.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donoho, D.L. (1995) Nonlinear solution of linear inverse problems by wavelet-vaguelette decomposition. Applied and Computational. Harmonic Analyses 2, 101126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Erdelyi, A. (1939) Über eine erzeugende funktion von produkten Hermitischer polynome (German). Mathematische zeitsehsitt 44, 201210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fan, J. (1992) Design-adaptive nonparametric regression. Journal of the Americian Statistical Association 87, 9981004.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, P. & Horowitz, J.L. (2005) Nonparametric methods for inference in the presence of instrumental variables. Annals of Statistics 33, 29042929.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Härdle, W. & Mammen, E. (1993) Comparing nonparametric versus parametric regression fits, Annals of Statistics 21, 19261947.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hildenbrand, W. (1993) Market Demand: Theory and Empirical Evidence. Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Hoderlein, S. (2008) Nonparametric Demand Systems, Instrumental Variables and a Heterogeneous Population. Working paper, Mannheim.Google Scholar
Hoderlein, S., Klemelä, Y., & Mammen, E. (2007) Reconsidering the Random Coefficients Model. Working paper, Mannheim.Google Scholar
Hoderlein, S. & Mammen, E. (2007) Identification of marginal effects in nonseparable models without monotonicity. Econometrica 75, 15131518.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Imbens, G. & Newey, W. (2007) Identification and Estimation of Triangular Simultaneous Equations Models without Additivity. Working paper, MIT.Google Scholar
Johnstone, I.M. & Silverman, B.W. (1990) Speed of estimation in positron emission tomography and related inverse problems. Annals of Statistics 18, 251280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kress, R. (1989) Linear Integral Equations. Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewbel, A. (2001) Demand systems with and without errors. American Economic Review 91, 611618.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mair, B.A. & Ruymgaart, F. (1996) Statistical inverse estimation in Hilbert scales. SIAM Journal Applied Mathematics 56, 14241444.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neumann, M.H. (1994) Pointwise confidence intervals in nonparametric regression with heteroscedastic error structure. Statistics 29, 136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newey, W.K. & Powell, J.L. (2003) Instrumental variable estimation of nonparametric models. Econometrica 71, 15651578.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nychka, D.W. & Cox, D. (1989) Convergence rates for generalized solutions of integral equations from discrete noisy data. Annals of Statistics 17, 556572.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pendakur, K. (1999) Semiparametric estimates and tests of base-independent equivalence scales. Journal of Econometrics 88, 140CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O’Sullivan, F. (1986) A statistical perspective on ill-posed inverse problems. Statistical Science 4, 169184.Google Scholar
Severini, T.A. & Tripathi, G. (2006) Some identification issues in nonparametric linear models with endogenous regressors. Econometric Theory 22, 258278.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Szegö, G. (1959) Orthogonal polynomials, Rev. ed. American Mathematical Society.Google Scholar