Causal Inference under Interference: Regression Adjustment and Optimality

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Fan, Xinyuan, Leng, Chenlei, Wu, Weichi
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Fan, Xinyuan
Leng, Chenlei
Wu, Weichi
author_facet Fan, Xinyuan
Leng, Chenlei
Wu, Weichi
contents In randomized controlled trials without interference, regression adjustment is widely used to enhance the efficiency of treatment effect estimation. This paper extends this efficiency principle to settings with network interference, where a unit's response may depend on the treatments assigned to its neighbors in a network. We make three key contributions: (1) we establish a central limit theorem for a linear regression-adjusted estimator and prove its optimality in achieving the smallest asymptotic variance within a class of linear adjustments; (2) we develop a novel, consistent estimator for the asymptotic variance of this linear estimator; and (3) we propose a nonparametric estimator that integrates kernel smoothing and trimming techniques, demonstrating its asymptotic normality and its optimality in minimizing asymptotic variance within a broader class of nonlinear adjustments. Extensive simulations validate the superior performance of our estimators, and a real-world data application illustrates their practical utility. Our findings underscore the power of regression-based methods and reveal the potential of kernel-and-trimming-based approaches for further enhancing efficiency under network interference.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_06008
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Causal Inference under Interference: Regression Adjustment and Optimality
Fan, Xinyuan
Leng, Chenlei
Wu, Weichi
Methodology
In randomized controlled trials without interference, regression adjustment is widely used to enhance the efficiency of treatment effect estimation. This paper extends this efficiency principle to settings with network interference, where a unit's response may depend on the treatments assigned to its neighbors in a network. We make three key contributions: (1) we establish a central limit theorem for a linear regression-adjusted estimator and prove its optimality in achieving the smallest asymptotic variance within a class of linear adjustments; (2) we develop a novel, consistent estimator for the asymptotic variance of this linear estimator; and (3) we propose a nonparametric estimator that integrates kernel smoothing and trimming techniques, demonstrating its asymptotic normality and its optimality in minimizing asymptotic variance within a broader class of nonlinear adjustments. Extensive simulations validate the superior performance of our estimators, and a real-world data application illustrates their practical utility. Our findings underscore the power of regression-based methods and reveal the potential of kernel-and-trimming-based approaches for further enhancing efficiency under network interference.
title Causal Inference under Interference: Regression Adjustment and Optimality
topic Methodology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.06008