Improved inference for nonparametric regression and regression-discontinuity designs

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Cavaliere, Giuseppe, Gonçalves, Sílvia, Nielsen, Morten Ørregaard, Zanelli, Edoardo
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Cavaliere, Giuseppe
Gonçalves, Sílvia
Nielsen, Morten Ørregaard
Zanelli, Edoardo
author_facet Cavaliere, Giuseppe
Gonçalves, Sílvia
Nielsen, Morten Ørregaard
Zanelli, Edoardo
contents Nonparametric regression and regression-discontinuity designs suffer from smoothing bias that distorts conventional confidence intervals. Solutions based on robust bias correction (RBC) are now central to the economist's toolbox. In this paper, we establish a novel connection between RBC methods and bootstrap prepivoting. Revisiting RBC through the lens of bootstrapping allows us to develop a novel bias correction procedure which delivers improved nonparametric inference. The resulting confidence intervals are 17% shorter than the usual intervals employed in curve estimation and regression discontinuity designs, without compromising asymptotic coverage. This holds regardless of evaluation point location, bandwidth choice, or regressor and error distribution.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_00566
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Improved inference for nonparametric regression and regression-discontinuity designs
Cavaliere, Giuseppe
Gonçalves, Sílvia
Nielsen, Morten Ørregaard
Zanelli, Edoardo
Econometrics
Methodology
Nonparametric regression and regression-discontinuity designs suffer from smoothing bias that distorts conventional confidence intervals. Solutions based on robust bias correction (RBC) are now central to the economist's toolbox. In this paper, we establish a novel connection between RBC methods and bootstrap prepivoting. Revisiting RBC through the lens of bootstrapping allows us to develop a novel bias correction procedure which delivers improved nonparametric inference. The resulting confidence intervals are 17% shorter than the usual intervals employed in curve estimation and regression discontinuity designs, without compromising asymptotic coverage. This holds regardless of evaluation point location, bandwidth choice, or regressor and error distribution.
title Improved inference for nonparametric regression and regression-discontinuity designs
topic Econometrics
Methodology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00566