IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/fec/journl/v7y2012i2p163-192.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Returns to Lying? Identifying the Effects of Misreporting When the Truth Is Unobserved

Author

Listed:
  • Yingyao Hu

    (Department of Economics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA)

  • Arthur Lewbel

    (Department of Economics, Boston College, Boston, MA 02467, USA)

Abstract

Consider an observed binary regressor D and an unobserved binary variable D*, both of which affect some other variable Y . This paper considers nonparametric identification and estimation of the effect of D on Y , conditioning on D* = 0. For example, suppose Y is a person¡¯s wage, the unobserved D* indicates if the person has been to college, and the observed D indicates whether the individual claims to have been to college. This paper then identifies and estimates the difference in average wages between those who falsely claim college experience versus those who tell the truth about not having college. We estimate this average effect of lying to be about 6% to 20%. Nonparametric identification without observing D* is obtained either by observing a variable V that is roughly analogous to an instrument for ordinary measurement error, or by imposing restrictions on model error moments.

Suggested Citation

  • Yingyao Hu & Arthur Lewbel, 2012. "Returns to Lying? Identifying the Effects of Misreporting When the Truth Is Unobserved," Frontiers of Economics in China-Selected Publications from Chinese Universities, Higher Education Press, vol. 7(2), pages 163-192, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:fec:journl:v:7:y:2012:i:2:p:163-192
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://journal.hep.com.cn/fec/EN/10.3868/s060-001-012-0008-8
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Richard W. Blundell & James L. Powell, 2004. "Endogeneity in Semiparametric Binary Response Models," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 71(3), pages 655-679.
    2. Chunrong Ai & Xiaohong Chen, 2003. "Efficient Estimation of Models with Conditional Moment Restrictions Containing Unknown Functions," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 71(6), pages 1795-1843, November.
    3. Chen, Xiaohong & Hu, Yingyao & Lewbel, Arthur, 2008. "Nonparametric identification of regression models containing a misclassified dichotomous regressor without instruments," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 100(3), pages 381-384, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Francis J. DiTraglia & Camilo Garcia-Jimeno, 2020. "Identifying the effect of a mis-classified, binary, endogenous regressor," Papers 2011.07272, arXiv.org.
    2. Acerenza, Santiago & Ban, Kyunghoon & Kedagni, Desire, 2021. "Marginal Treatment Effects with Misclassified Treatment," ISU General Staff Papers 202106180700001132, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    3. Santiago Acerenza & Kyunghoon Ban & D'esir'e K'edagni, 2021. "Local Average and Marginal Treatment Effects with a Misclassified Treatment," Papers 2105.00358, arXiv.org, revised Sep 2024.
    4. DiTraglia, Francis J. & García-Jimeno, Camilo, 2019. "Identifying the effect of a mis-classified, binary, endogenous regressor," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 209(2), pages 376-390.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yingyao Hu & Arthur Lewbel, 2007. "Identifying the Returns to Lying When the Truth is Unobserved," Economics Working Paper Archive 540, The Johns Hopkins University,Department of Economics.
    2. Mammen, Enno & Rothe, Christoph & Schienle, Melanie, 2016. "Semiparametric Estimation With Generated Covariates," Econometric Theory, Cambridge University Press, vol. 32(5), pages 1140-1177, October.
    3. Kim, Namhyun & W. Saart, Patrick, 2021. "Estimation in partially linear semiparametric models with parametric and/or nonparametric endogeneity," Cardiff Economics Working Papers E2021/9, Cardiff University, Cardiff Business School, Economics Section.
    4. Juan Carlos Escanciano & Lin Zhu, 2013. "Set inferences and sensitivity analysis in semiparametric conditionally identified models," CeMMAP working papers 55/13, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    5. Matzkin, Rosa L., 2016. "On independence conditions in nonseparable models: Observable and unobservable instruments," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 191(2), pages 302-311.
    6. David T. Frazier & Eric Renault & Lina Zhang & Xueyan Zhao, 2020. "Weak Identification in Discrete Choice Models," Papers 2011.06753, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2021.
    7. repec:hum:wpaper:sfb649dp2014-043 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Carlson, Alyssa, 2023. "Relaxing conditional independence in an endogenous binary response model," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 232(2), pages 490-500.
    9. Escanciano, Juan Carlos & Jacho-Chávez, David T. & Lewbel, Arthur, 2014. "Uniform convergence of weighted sums of non and semiparametric residuals for estimation and testing," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 178(P3), pages 426-443.
    10. Roger Klein & Chan Shen, 2015. "Semiparametric Instrumental Variable Estimation in an Endogenous Treatment Model," Departmental Working Papers 201511, Rutgers University, Department of Economics.
    11. Juan Carlos Escanciano & Joel Robert Terschuur, 2022. "Machine Learning Inference on Inequality of Opportunity," Papers 2206.05235, arXiv.org, revised Oct 2023.
    12. Dong, Yingying & Lewbel, Arthur, 2011. "Nonparametric identification of a binary random factor in cross section data," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 163(2), pages 163-171, August.
    13. Hansen, Lars Peter, 2013. "Uncertainty Outside and Inside Economic Models," Nobel Prize in Economics documents 2013-7, Nobel Prize Committee.
    14. Chang, Jinyuan & Chen, Song Xi & Chen, Xiaohong, 2015. "High dimensional generalized empirical likelihood for moment restrictions with dependent data," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 185(1), pages 283-304.
    15. Nguimkeu, Pierre & Denteh, Augustine & Tchernis, Rusty, 2019. "On the estimation of treatment effects with endogenous misreporting," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 208(2), pages 487-506.
    16. Menzel, Konrad, 2014. "Consistent estimation with many moment inequalities," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 182(2), pages 329-350.
    17. Ai, Chunrong & Chen, Xiaohong, 2007. "Estimation of possibly misspecified semiparametric conditional moment restriction models with different conditioning variables," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 141(1), pages 5-43, November.
    18. Xiaohong Chen & Andres Santos, 2018. "Overidentification in Regular Models," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 86(5), pages 1771-1817, September.
    19. Ichimura, Hidehiko & Todd, Petra E., 2007. "Implementing Nonparametric and Semiparametric Estimators," Handbook of Econometrics, in: J.J. Heckman & E.E. Leamer (ed.), Handbook of Econometrics, edition 1, volume 6, chapter 74, Elsevier.
    20. Sant’Anna, Pedro H.C. & Zhao, Jun, 2020. "Doubly robust difference-in-differences estimators," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 219(1), pages 101-122.
    21. Yi Zhang & Kosuke Imai, 2023. "Individualized Policy Evaluation and Learning under Clustered Network Interference," Papers 2311.02467, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2024.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    binary regressor; misclassification; measurement error; unobserved factor; discrete factor; program evaluation; treatment effects; returns to schooling; wage model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General
    • C13 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Estimation: General
    • C20 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - General
    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:fec:journl:v:7:y:2012:i:2:p:163-192. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Frank H. Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.