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Identification and estimation of unconditional policy effects of an endogenous binary treatment: An unconditional MTE approach

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  • Martinez-Iriarte, Julian
  • Sun, Yixiao

Abstract

This paper studies the identification and estimation of policy effects when treatment status is binary and endogenous. We introduce a new class of marginal treatment effects (MTEs) based on the influence function of the functional underlying the policy target. We show that an unconditional policy effect can be represented as a weighted average of the newly defined MTEs over the individuals who are indifferent about their treatment status. We provide conditions for point identification of the unconditional policy effects. When a quantile is the functional of interest, we introduce the UNconditional Instrumental Quantile Estimator (UNIQUE) and establish its consistency and asymptotic distribution. In the empirical application, we estimate the effect of changing college enrollment status, induced by higher tuition subsidy, on the quantiles of the wage distribution.

Suggested Citation

  • Martinez-Iriarte, Julian & Sun, Yixiao, 2024. "Identification and estimation of unconditional policy effects of an endogenous binary treatment: An unconditional MTE approach," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 244(1).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:econom:v:244:y:2024:i:1:s0304407624002033
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeconom.2024.105858
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Marginal treatment effect; Marginal policy-relevant treatment effect; Selection model; Instrumental variable; Unconditional policy effect; Unconditional quantile regression;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General
    • C31 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models; Quantile Regressions; Social Interaction Models
    • C36 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Instrumental Variables (IV) Estimation

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