Inference for Forecasting Accuracy: Pooled versus Individual Estimators in High-dimensional Panel Data

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Autori principali: Kutta, Tim, Schumann, Martin, Dette, Holger
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Kutta, Tim
Schumann, Martin
Dette, Holger
author_facet Kutta, Tim
Schumann, Martin
Dette, Holger
contents Panels with large time $(T)$ and cross-sectional $(N)$ dimensions are a key data structure in social sciences and other fields. A central question in panel data analysis is whether to pool data across individuals or to estimate separate models. Pooled estimators typically have lower variance but may suffer from bias, creating a fundamental trade-off for optimal estimation. We develop a new inference method to compare the forecasting performance of pooled and individual estimators. Specifically, we propose a confidence interval for the difference between their forecasting errors and establish its asymptotic validity. Our theory allows for complex temporal and cross-sectional dependence in the model errors and covers scenarios where $N$ can be much larger than $T$-including the independent case under the classical condition $N/T^2 \to 0$. The finite-sample properties of the proposed method are examined in an extensive simulation study.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_15592
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Inference for Forecasting Accuracy: Pooled versus Individual Estimators in High-dimensional Panel Data
Kutta, Tim
Schumann, Martin
Dette, Holger
Methodology
Econometrics
Statistics Theory
Panels with large time $(T)$ and cross-sectional $(N)$ dimensions are a key data structure in social sciences and other fields. A central question in panel data analysis is whether to pool data across individuals or to estimate separate models. Pooled estimators typically have lower variance but may suffer from bias, creating a fundamental trade-off for optimal estimation. We develop a new inference method to compare the forecasting performance of pooled and individual estimators. Specifically, we propose a confidence interval for the difference between their forecasting errors and establish its asymptotic validity. Our theory allows for complex temporal and cross-sectional dependence in the model errors and covers scenarios where $N$ can be much larger than $T$-including the independent case under the classical condition $N/T^2 \to 0$. The finite-sample properties of the proposed method are examined in an extensive simulation study.
title Inference for Forecasting Accuracy: Pooled versus Individual Estimators in High-dimensional Panel Data
topic Methodology
Econometrics
Statistics Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.15592