arXiv subjects

Bulat Gafarov

Publications and source records attributed to Bulat Gafarov.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Refined Cluster Robust Inference

It has become standard for empirical studies to conduct inference robust to cluster dependence and heterogeneity. With a small number of clusters, the normal approximation for the $t$-statistics of regression coefficients may be poor. This paper tackles this problem using a critical value based on the conditional Cram\'er-Edgeworth expansion for the $t$-statistics. The proposed critical value guarantees third-order refinement, and it does not require resampling because it is a closed-form function of the estimated score skewness and kurtosis. Simulations show that our proposal can make a difference in size control with as few as 10 clusters. Keywords: Cluster robust inference, Cram\'er-Edgeworth expansion, Asymptotic refinement

econ.EM↗

arXiv2025

Projection Inference for set-identified SVARs

We study the properties of the classical \emph{projection} method to conduct simultaneous inference about the coefficients of the structural impulse-response function and their identified set in Structural Vector Autoregressions. We show that -- as the sample size grows large -- projection inference produces regions for the structural parameters and their identified set with both frequentist coverage and robust Bayesian credibility of at least $1-\alpha$. We then calibrate the radius of the Wald ellipsoid to guarantee that -- for a given posterior on the reduced-form parameters -- the robust Bayesian credibility of the projection method is exactly $1-\alpha$. We illustrate the main results of the paper using a demand/supply model of the U.S.~labor market.

econ.EM↗

arXiv2024

Wild inference for wild SVARs with application to volatility-based IV

We propose a dependent wild bootstrap method based on local projections for computing the joint asymptotic distribution of parameter estimates in structural vector autoregression models. This procedure can be applied to the raw data in levels without pretesting while remaining robust to unit roots, cointegration, polynomial trends, and conditionally heteroscedastic shocks in a general form. We show how knowledge of the joint asymptotic distribution in persistent data setups can improve the efficiency of impulse response function estimators through smoothing, narrow multi-horizon confidence bounds, and deliver weak identification robust inference using external moments. We illustrate these findings in simulations and apply the method to US monetary policy shocks identified by FOMC-meeting-induced volatility.

econ.EM↗

arXiv2023

Generalized Automatic Least Squares: Efficiency Gains from Misspecified Heteroscedasticity Models

It is well known that in the presence of heteroscedasticity ordinary least squares estimator is not efficient. I propose a generalized automatic least squares estimator (GALS) that makes partial correction of heteroscedasticity based on a (potentially) misspecified model without a pretest. Such an estimator is guaranteed to be at least as efficient as either OLS or WLS but can provide some asymptotic efficiency gains over OLS if the misspecified model is approximately correct. If the heteroscedasticity model is correct, the proposed estimator achieves full asymptotic efficiency. The idea is to frame moment conditions corresponding to OLS and WLS squares based on miss-specified heteroscedasticity as a joint generalized method of moments estimation problem. The resulting optimal GMM estimator is equivalent to a feasible GLS with estimated weight matrix. I also propose an optimal GMM variance-covariance estimator for GALS to account for any remaining heteroscedasticity in the residuals.

econ.EM↗

arXiv2020

Bias correction for quantile regression estimators

We study the bias of classical quantile regression and instrumental variable quantile regression estimators. While being asymptotically first-order unbiased, these estimators can have non-negligible second-order biases. We derive a higher-order stochastic expansion of these estimators using empirical process theory. Based on this expansion, we derive an explicit formula for the second-order bias and propose a feasible bias correction procedure that uses finite-difference estimators of the bias components. The proposed bias correction method performs well in simulations. We provide an empirical illustration using Engel's classical data on household food expenditure.

econ.EM↗

arXiv2019

Simple subvector inference on sharp identified set in affine models

This paper studies a regularized support function estimator for bounds on components of the parameter vector in the case in which the identified set is a polygon. The proposed regularized estimator has three important properties: (i) it has a uniform asymptotic Gaussian limit in the presence of flat faces in the absence of redundant (or overidentifying) constraints (or vice versa); (ii) the bias from regularization does not enter the first-order limiting distribution; (iii) the estimator remains consistent for sharp (non-enlarged) identified set for the individual components even in the non-regualar case. These properties are used to construct \emph{uniformly valid} confidence sets for an element $\theta_{1}$ of a parameter vector $\theta\in\mathbb{R}^{d}$ that is partially identified by affine moment equality and inequality conditions. The proposed confidence sets can be computed as a solution to a small number of linear and convex quadratic programs, leading to a substantial decrease in computation time and guarantees a global optimum. As a result, the method provides a uniformly valid inference in applications in which the dimension of the parameter space, $d$, and the number of inequalities, $k$, were previously computationally unfeasible ($d,k=100$). The proposed approach can be extended to construct confidence sets for intersection bounds, to construct joint polygon-shaped confidence sets for multiple components of $\theta$, and to find the set of solutions to a linear program. Inference for coefficients in the linear IV regression model with an interval outcome is used as an illustrative example.

econ.EM↗

arXiv2018

On model selection criteria for climate change impact studies

Climate change impact studies inform policymakers on the estimated damages of future climate change on economic, health and other outcomes. In most studies, an annual outcome variable is observed, e.g. agricultural yield, along with a higher-frequency regressor, e.g. daily temperature. Applied researchers then face a problem of selecting a model to characterize the nonlinear relationship between the outcome and the high-frequency regressor to make a policy recommendation based on the model-implied damage function. We show that existing model selection criteria are only suitable for the policy objective if one of the models under consideration nests the true model. If all models are seen as imperfect approximations to the true nonlinear relationship, the model that performs well in the normal climate conditions is not guaranteed to perform well at the projected climate that is different from the historical norm. We therefore propose a new criterion, the proximity-weighted mean-squared error (PWMSE), that directly targets precision of the damage function at the projected future climate. To make this criterion feasible, we assign higher weights to prior years that can serve as weather analogs to the projected future climate when evaluating competing models using the PWMSE. We show that our approach selects the best approximate regression model that has the smallest weighted error of predicted impacts for a projected future climate. A simulation study and an application revisiting the impact of climate change on agricultural production illustrate the empirical relevance of our theoretical analysis.

stat.ME↗