Semiparametric inference for impulse response functions using double/debiased machine learning

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Ballinari, Daniele, Wehrli, Alexander
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Ballinari, Daniele
Wehrli, Alexander
author_facet Ballinari, Daniele
Wehrli, Alexander
contents We introduce a double/debiased machine learning estimator for the impulse response function in settings where a time series of interest is subjected to multiple discrete treatments, assigned over time, which can have a causal effect on future outcomes. The proposed estimator can rely on fully nonparametric relations between treatment and outcome variables, opening up the possibility to use flexible machine learning approaches to estimate impulse response functions. To this end, we extend the theory of double machine learning from an i.i.d. to a time series setting and show that the proposed estimator is consistent and asymptotically normally distributed at the parametric rate, allowing for semiparametric inference for dynamic effects in a time series setting. The properties of the estimator are validated numerically in finite samples by applying it to learn the impulse response function in the presence of serial dependence in both the confounder and observation innovation processes. We also illustrate the methodology empirically by applying it to the estimation of the effects of macroeconomic shocks.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_10009
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Semiparametric inference for impulse response functions using double/debiased machine learning
Ballinari, Daniele
Wehrli, Alexander
Econometrics
Statistics Theory
Machine Learning
We introduce a double/debiased machine learning estimator for the impulse response function in settings where a time series of interest is subjected to multiple discrete treatments, assigned over time, which can have a causal effect on future outcomes. The proposed estimator can rely on fully nonparametric relations between treatment and outcome variables, opening up the possibility to use flexible machine learning approaches to estimate impulse response functions. To this end, we extend the theory of double machine learning from an i.i.d. to a time series setting and show that the proposed estimator is consistent and asymptotically normally distributed at the parametric rate, allowing for semiparametric inference for dynamic effects in a time series setting. The properties of the estimator are validated numerically in finite samples by applying it to learn the impulse response function in the presence of serial dependence in both the confounder and observation innovation processes. We also illustrate the methodology empirically by applying it to the estimation of the effects of macroeconomic shocks.
title Semiparametric inference for impulse response functions using double/debiased machine learning
topic Econometrics
Statistics Theory
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.10009