Nonparametric Additive Instrumental Variable Estimator: A Group Shrinkage Estimation Perspective

In this article, we study a nonparametric approach regarding a general nonlinear reduced form equation to achieve a better approximation of the optimal instrument. Accordingly, we propose the nonparametric additive instrumental variable estimator (NAIVE) with the adaptive group Lasso. We theoretically demonstrate that the proposed estimator is root-n consistent and asymptotically normal. The adaptive group Lasso helps us select the valid instruments while the dimensionality of potential instrumental variables is allowed to be greater than the sample size. In practice, the degree and knots of B-spline series are selected by minimizing the BIC or EBIC criteria for each nonparametric additive component in the reduced form equation. In Monte Carlo simulations, we show that the NAIVE has the same performance as the linear instrumental variable (IV) estimator for the truly linear reduced form equation. On the other hand, the NAIVE performs much better in terms of bias and mean squared errors compared to other alternative estimators under the high-dimensional nonlinear reduced form equation. We further illustrate our method in an empirical study of international trade and growth. Our findings provide a stronger evidence that international trade has a significant positive effect on economic growth.     

Lassoing the Determinants of Retirement

This article uses Danish register data to explain the retirement decision of workers in 1990 and 1998. Many variables might be conjectured to influence this decision such as demographic, socioeconomic, financial, and health related variables as well as all the same factors for the spouse in case the individual is married. In total, we have access to 399 individual specific variables that all could potentially impact the retirement decision. We use variants of the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) and the adaptive Lasso applied to logistic regression in order to uncover determinants of the retirement decision. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of these estimators in microeconometrics to a problem of this type and scale. Furthermore, we investigate whether the factors influencing the retirement decision are stable over time, gender, and marital status. It is found that this is the case for core variables such as age, income, wealth, and general health. We also point out the most important differences between these groups and explain why these might be present.     

Bi-level variable selection via adaptive sparse group Lasso

Penalization has been extensively adopted for variable selection in regression. In some applications, covariates have natural grouping structures, where those in the same group have correlated measurements or related functions. Under such settings, variable selection should be conducted at both the group-level and within-group-level, that is, a bi-level selection. In this study, we propose the adaptive sparse group Lasso (adSGL) method, which combines the adaptive Lasso and adaptive group Lasso (GL) to achieve bi-level selection. It can be viewed as an improved version of sparse group Lasso (SGL) and uses data-dependent weights to improve selection performance. For computation, a block coordinate descent algorithm is adopted. Simulation shows that adSGL has satisfactory performance in identifying both individual variables and groups and lower false discovery rate and mean square error than SGL and GL. We apply the proposed method to the analysis of a household healthcare expenditure data set.     

Semi-parametric segmentation of multiple series using a DP-Lasso strategy

We consider a semi-parametric approach to perform the joint segmentation of multiple series sharing a common functional part. We propose an iterative procedure based on Dynamic Programming for the segmentation part and Lasso estimators for the functional part. Our Lasso procedure, based on the dictionary approach, allows us to both estimate smooth functions and functions with local irregularity, which permits more flexibility than previous proposed methods. This yields to a better estimation of the functional part and improvements in the segmentation. The performance of our method is assessed using simulated data and real data from agriculture and geodetic studies. Our estimation procedure results to be a reliable tool to detect changes and to obtain an interpretable estimation of the functional part of the model in terms of known functions.     

基于随机化适应性Lasso的高维变量选择

Lasso等惩罚变量选择方法选入模型的变量数受到样本量限制。文献中已有研究变量系数显著性的方法舍弃了未选入模型的变量含有的信息。本文在变量数大于样本量即p>n的高维情况下,使用随机化bootstrap方法获得变量权重,在计算适应性Lasso时构建选择事件的条件分布并剔除系数不显著的变量,以得到最终估计结果。本文的创新点在于提出的方法突破了适应性Lasso可选变量数的限制,当观测数据含有大量干扰变量时能够有效地识别出真实变量与干扰变量。与现有的惩罚变量选择方法相比,多种情境下的模拟研究展示了所提方法在上述两个问题中的优越性。实证研究中对NCI-60癌症细胞系数据进行了分析,结果较以往文献有明显改善。     

多图模型及其在宏观经济指标相关分析中的应用

多图模型表示来自于不同类的同一组随机变量间的相关关系,结点表示随机变量,边表示变量之间的直接联系,各类的图模型反映了各自相关结构特征和类间共同的信息。用多图模型联合估计方法,将来自不同个体的数据按其特征分类,假设每类中各变量间的相依结构服从同一个高斯图模型,应用组Lasso方法和图Lasso方法联合估计每类的图模型结构。数值模拟验证了多图模型联合估计方法的有效性。用多图模型和联合估计方法对中国15个省份13个宏观经济指标进行相依结构分析,结果表明,不同经济发展水平省份的宏观经济变量间存在共同的相关联系,反映了中国现阶段经济发展的特征;每一类的相关结构反映了各类省份经济发展独有的特征。     

Lasso with convex loss: Model selection consistency and estimation

Abstract

Variable selection is a fundamental challenge in statistical learning if one works with data sets containing huge amount of predictors. In this artical we consider procedures popular in model selection: Lasso and adaptive Lasso. Our goal is to investigate properties of estimators based on minimization of Lasso-type penalized empirical risk with a convex loss function, in particular nondifferentiable. We obtain theorems concerning rate of convergence in estimation, consistency in model selection and oracle properties for Lasso estimators if the number of predictors is fixed, i.e. it does not depend on the sample size. Moreover, we study properties of Lasso and adaptive Lasso estimators on simulated and real data sets.     

The Risk of James–Stein and Lasso Shrinkage

This article compares the mean-squared error (or ?₂ risk) of ordinary least squares (OLS), James–Stein, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) shrinkage estimators in simple linear regression where the number of regressors is smaller than the sample size. We compare and contrast the known risk bounds for these estimators, which shows that neither James–Stein nor Lasso uniformly dominates the other. We investigate the finite sample risk using a simple simulation experiment. We find that the risk of Lasso estimation is particularly sensitive to coefficient parameterization, and for a significant portion of the parameter space Lasso has higher mean-squared error than OLS. This investigation suggests that there are potential pitfalls arising with Lasso estimation, and simulation studies need to be more attentive to careful exploration of the parameter space.     

基于Lasso改进的一般因果关系检验

通常所说的Granger因果关系检验，实际上是对线性因果关系的检验，无法检验非线性因果关系。Peguin和Terasvirta（1999）进行了基于泰勒展式的一般性扩展，应用于非线性因果关系检验，并采用提取主成分的方法解决其中的多重共线性问题。但是，提取主成分对解决多重共线性的效果并不太好。Lasso回归是目前处理多重共线性的主要方法之一，相对于其他方法，更容易产生稀疏解，在参数估计的同时实现变量选择，因而可以用来解决检验中的多重共线性问题，以提高检验的效率。对检验程序的模拟结果表明，基于Lasso回归的检验取得较好的效果。     

Oracle Inequalities for Convex Loss Functions with Nonlinear Targets

This article considers penalized empirical loss minimization of convex loss functions with unknown target functions. Using the elastic net penalty, of which the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (Lasso) is a special case, we establish a finite sample oracle inequality which bounds the loss of our estimator from above with high probability. If the unknown target is linear, this inequality also provides an upper bound of the estimation error of the estimated parameter vector. Next, we use the non-asymptotic results to show that the excess loss of our estimator is asymptotically of the same order as that of the oracle. If the target is linear, we give sufficient conditions for consistency of the estimated parameter vector. We briefly discuss how a thresholded version of our estimator can be used to perform consistent variable selection. We give two examples of loss functions covered by our framework.     

An auxiliary function approach for Lasso in music composition using cellular automata

In this paper, we present an auxiliary function approach to solve the overlap group Lasso problem. Our goal is to solve a more general structure with overlapping groups, which is suitable to be used in cellular automata (CA). The CA were introduced to the algorithmic composition which is based on the development and classification. At the same time, concrete algorithm and mapping from CA to music series are given. Experimental simulations show the effectiveness of our algorithms, and using the auxiliary function approach to solve Lasso with CA is a potentially useful music automatic-generation algorithm.     

Sharp Threshold Detection Based on Sup-Norm Error Rates in High-Dimensional Models

We propose a new estimator, the thresholded scaled Lasso, in high-dimensional threshold regressions. First, we establish an upper bound on the ?_∞ estimation error of the scaled Lasso estimator of Lee, Seo, and Shin. This is a nontrivial task as the literature on high-dimensional models has focused almost exclusively on ?₁ and ?₂ estimation errors. We show that this sup-norm bound can be used to distinguish between zero and nonzero coefficients at a much finer scale than would have been possible using classical oracle inequalities. Thus, our sup-norm bound is tailored to consistent variable selection via thresholding. Our simulations show that thresholding the scaled Lasso yields substantial improvements in terms of variable selection. Finally, we use our estimator to shed further empirical light on the long-running debate on the relationship between the level of debt (public and private) and GDP growth. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.     

The Adaptive Gril Estimator with a Diverging Number of Parameters

We consider the problem of variables selection and estimation in linear regression model in situations where the number of parameters diverges with the sample size. We propose the adaptive Generalized Ridge-Lasso (\mboxAdaGril) which is an extension of the the adaptive Elastic Net. AdaGril incorporates information redundancy among correlated variables for model selection and estimation. It combines the strengths of the quadratic regularization and the adaptively weighted Lasso shrinkage. In this article, we highlight the grouped selection property for AdaCnet method (one type of AdaGril) in the equal correlation case. Under weak conditions, we establish the oracle property of AdaGril which ensures the optimal large performance when the dimension is high. Consequently, it achieves both goals of handling the problem of collinearity in high dimension and enjoys the oracle property. Moreover, we show that AdaGril estimator achieves a Sparsity Inequality, i.e., a bound in terms of the number of non-zero components of the “true” regression coefficient. This bound is obtained under a similar weak Restricted Eigenvalue (RE) condition used for Lasso. Simulations studies show that some particular cases of AdaGril outperform its competitors.     

An iterative algorithm for optimal variable weighting in K-means clustering

The K-means clustering method is a widely adopted clustering algorithm in data mining and pattern recognition, where the partitions are made by minimizing the total within group sum of squares based on a given set of variables. Weighted K-means clustering is an extension of the K-means method by assigning nonnegative weights to the set of variables. In this paper, we aim to obtain more meaningful and interpretable clusters by deriving the optimal variable weights for weighted K-means clustering. Specifically, we improve the weighted k-means clustering method by introducing a new algorithm to obtain the globally optimal variable weights based on the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions. We present the mathematical formulation for the clustering problem, derive the structural properties of the optimal weights, and implement an recursive algorithm to calculate the optimal weights. Numerical examples on simulated and real data indicate that our method is superior in both clustering accuracy and computational efficiency.     

Empirical Performance of Cross-Validation With Oracle Methods in a Genomics Context

When employing model selection methods with oracle properties such as the smoothly clipped absolute deviation (SCAD) and the Adaptive Lasso, it is typical to estimate the smoothing parameter by m-fold cross-validation, for example, m = 10. In problems where the true regression function is sparse and the signals large, such cross-validation typically works well. However, in regression modeling of genomic studies involving Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP), the true regression functions, while thought to be sparse, do not have large signals. We demonstrate empirically that in such problems, the number of selected variables using SCAD and the Adaptive Lasso, with 10-fold cross-validation, is a random variable that has considerable and surprising variation. Similar remarks apply to non-oracle methods such as the Lasso. Our study strongly questions the suitability of performing only a single run of m-fold cross-validation with any oracle method, and not just the SCAD and Adaptive Lasso.     

Lassoing the HAR Model: A Model Selection Perspective on Realized Volatility Dynamics

Realized volatility computed from high-frequency data is an important measure for many applications in finance, and its dynamics have been widely investigated. Recent notable advances that perform well include the heterogeneous autoregressive (HAR) model which can approximate long memory, is very parsimonious, is easy to estimate, and features good out-of-sample performance. We prove that the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) recovers the lags structure of the HAR model asymptotically if it is the true model, and we present Monte Carlo evidence in finite samples. The HAR model's lags structure is not fully in agreement with the one found using the Lasso on real data. Moreover, we provide empirical evidence that there are two clear breaks in structure for most of the assets we consider. These results bring into question the appropriateness of the HAR model for realized volatility. Finally, in an out-of-sample analysis, we show equal performance of the HAR model and the Lasso approach.     

Logistic回归的双层变量选择研究

变量选择是统计建模的重要环节,选择合适的变量可以建立结构简单、预测精准的稳健模型。本文在logistic回归下提出了新的双层变量选择惩罚方法——adaptive Sparse Group Lasso(adSGL),其独特之处在于基于变量的分组结构作筛选,实现了组内和组间双层选择。该方法的优点是对各单个系数和组系数采取不同程度的惩罚,避免了过度惩罚大系数,从而提高了模型的估计和预测精度。求解的难点是惩罚似然函数不是严格凸的,因此本文基于组坐标下降法求解模型,并建立了调整参数的选取准则。模拟分析表明,对比现有代表性方法Sparse Group Lasso、Group Lasso及Lasso,adSGL法不仅提高了双层选择精度,而且降低了模型误差。最后本文将adSGL法应用到信用卡信用评分研究,对比logistic回归,它具有更高的分类精度和稳健性。     

Detection and Estimation of Block Structure in Spatial Weight Matrix

In many economic applications, it is often of interest to categorize, classify, or label individuals by groups based on similarity of observed behavior. We propose a method that captures group affiliation or, equivalently, estimates the block structure of a neighboring matrix embedded in a Spatial Econometric model. The main results of the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (Lasso) estimator shows that off-diagonal block elements are estimated as zeros with high probability, property defined as “zero-block consistency.” Furthermore, we present and prove zero-block consistency for the estimated spatial weight matrix even under a thin margin of interaction between groups. The tool developed in this article can be used as a verification of block structure by applied researchers, or as an exploration tool for estimating unknown block structures. We analyzed the U.S. Senate voting data and correctly identified blocks based on party affiliations. Simulations also show that the method performs well.     

Covariate Selection for the Semiparametric Additive Risk Model

Abstract.  This paper considers covariate selection for the additive hazards model. This model is particularly simple to study theoretically and its practical implementation has several major advantages to the similar methodology for the proportional hazards model. One complication compared with the proportional model is, however, that there is no simple likelihood to work with. We here study a least squares criterion with desirable properties and show how this criterion can be interpreted as a prediction error. Given this criterion, we define ridge and Lasso estimators as well as an adaptive Lasso and study their large sample properties for the situation where the number of covariates p is smaller than the number of observations. We also show that the adaptive Lasso has the oracle property. In many practical situations, it is more relevant to tackle the situation with large p compared with the number of observations. We do this by studying the properties of the so-called Dantzig selector in the setting of the additive risk model. Specifically, we establish a bound on how close the solution is to a true sparse signal in the case where the number of covariates is large. In a simulation study, we also compare the Dantzig and adaptive Lasso for a moderate to small number of covariates. The methods are applied to a breast cancer data set with gene expression recordings and to the primary biliary cirrhosis clinical data.     

BAYESIAN HYPER‐LASSOS WITH NON‐CONVEX PENALIZATION

The Lasso has sparked interest in the use of penalization of the log‐likelihood for variable selection, as well as for shrinkage. We are particularly interested in the more‐variables‐than‐observations case of characteristic importance for modern data. The Bayesian interpretation of the Lasso as the maximum a posteriori estimate of the regression coefficients, which have been given independent, double exponential prior distributions, is adopted. Generalizing this prior provides a family of hyper‐Lasso penalty functions, which includes the quasi‐Cauchy distribution of Johnstone and Silverman as a special case. The properties of this approach, including the oracle property, are explored, and an EM algorithm for inference in regression problems is described. The posterior is multi‐modal, and we suggest a strategy of using a set of perfectly fitting random starting values to explore modes in different regions of the parameter space. Simulations show that our procedure provides significant improvements on a range of established procedures, and we provide an example from chemometrics.