Covariate balancing for causal inference on categorical and continuous treatments

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Lee, Seong-ho, Ma, Yanyuan, de Luna, Xavier
Format: Preprint
Published: 2021
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author Lee, Seong-ho
Ma, Yanyuan
de Luna, Xavier
author_facet Lee, Seong-ho
Ma, Yanyuan
de Luna, Xavier
contents We propose novel estimators for categorical and continuous treatments by using an optimal covariate balancing strategy for inverse probability weighting. The resulting estimators are shown to be consistent and asymptotically normal for causal contrasts of interest, either when the model explaining treatment assignment is correctly specified, or when the correct set of bases for the outcome models has been chosen and the assignment model is sufficiently rich. For the categorical treatment case, we show that the estimator attains the semiparametric efficiency bound when all models are correctly specified. For the continuous case, the causal parameter of interest is a function of the treatment dose. The latter is not parametrized and the estimators proposed are shown to have bias and variance of the classical nonparametric rate. Asymptotic results are complemented with simulations illustrating the finite sample properties. Our analysis of a data set suggests a nonlinear effect of BMI on the decline in self reported health.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2103_00527
institution arXiv
publishDate 2021
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Covariate balancing for causal inference on categorical and continuous treatments
Lee, Seong-ho
Ma, Yanyuan
de Luna, Xavier
Methodology
Statistics Theory
62D20
We propose novel estimators for categorical and continuous treatments by using an optimal covariate balancing strategy for inverse probability weighting. The resulting estimators are shown to be consistent and asymptotically normal for causal contrasts of interest, either when the model explaining treatment assignment is correctly specified, or when the correct set of bases for the outcome models has been chosen and the assignment model is sufficiently rich. For the categorical treatment case, we show that the estimator attains the semiparametric efficiency bound when all models are correctly specified. For the continuous case, the causal parameter of interest is a function of the treatment dose. The latter is not parametrized and the estimators proposed are shown to have bias and variance of the classical nonparametric rate. Asymptotic results are complemented with simulations illustrating the finite sample properties. Our analysis of a data set suggests a nonlinear effect of BMI on the decline in self reported health.
title Covariate balancing for causal inference on categorical and continuous treatments
topic Methodology
Statistics Theory
62D20
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.00527