Double samble tests— a distribution free procedure

A method for constructing two-stage (double samble) tests is presented which does not require the evaluation of complicated bivariate distribution function. The procedure results from a modification of Fisher's method for combining independent tests of significance and is distribution free in the way it combines the test results from the two sampies. However, the one sample test statistics for the two samples are assumed to have continuous distributions and may be parametric. A rule is also given or the selection of a particular test out of a family of possible two-stage tests which can be generated by this method. Specific examples are given and comparisons are made with two double sample tests which have previously been presented in the literature.     

Inference in Approximately Sparse Correlated Random Effects Probit Models With Panel Data

Abstract

We propose a simple procedure based on an existing “debiased” l₁-regularized method for inference of the average partial effects (APEs) in approximately sparse probit and fractional probit models with panel data, where the number of time periods is fixed and small relative to the number of cross-sectional observations. Our method is computationally simple and does not suffer from the incidental parameters problems that come from attempting to estimate as a parameter the unobserved heterogeneity for each cross-sectional unit. Furthermore, it is robust to arbitrary serial dependence in underlying idiosyncratic errors. Our theoretical results illustrate that inference concerning APEs is more challenging than inference about fixed and low-dimensional parameters, as the former concerns deriving the asymptotic normality for sample averages of linear functions of a potentially large set of components in our estimator when a series approximation for the conditional mean of the unobserved heterogeneity is considered. Insights on the applicability and implications of other existing Lasso-based inference procedures for our problem are provided. We apply the debiasing method to estimate the effects of spending on test pass rates. Our results show that spending has a positive and statistically significant average partial effect; moreover, the effect is comparable to found using standard parametric methods.     

Automatic Bayesian curve fitting

A method of estimating a variety of curves by a sequence of piecewise polynomials is proposed, motivated by a Bayesian model and an appropriate summary of the resulting posterior distribution. A joint distribution is set up over both the number and the position of the knots defining the piecewise polynomials. Throughout we use reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo methods to compute the posteriors. The methodology has been successful in giving good estimates for 'smooth' functions (i.e. continuous and differentiable) as well as functions which are not differentiable, and perhaps not even continuous, at a finite number of points. The methodology is extended to deal with generalized additive models.     

A robust Liu regression estimator

The least-squares regression estimator can be very sensitive in the presence of multicollinearity and outliers in the data. We introduce a new robust estimator based on the MM estimator. By considering weights, also the resulting MM-Liu estimator is highly robust, but also the estimation of the biasing parameter is robustified. Also for high-dimensional data, a robust Liu-type estimator is introduced, based on the Partial Robust M-estimator. Simulation experiments and a real dataset show the advantages over the standard estimators and other robustness proposals.     

Oracle inequalities for the Lasso in the additive hazards model with interval-censored data

This article studies the absolute penalized convex function estimator in sparse and high-dimensional additive hazards model. Under such model, we assume that the failure time data are interval-censored and the number of time-dependent covariates can be larger than the sample size. We establish oracle inequalities based on some natural extensions of the compatibility and cone invertibility factors of the Hessian matrix at the true parameters in the model. Some similar inequalities based on an extension of the restricted eigenvalue are also established. Under mild conditions, we prove that the compatibility and cone invertibility factors and the restricted eigenvalues are bounded from below by positive constants for time-dependent covariates.