Applied Statistics Workshop (Gov 3009)

Date: 

Wednesday, April 29, 2020, 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Location: 

Online via Zoom

Today's speaker: Alexander MacKay presents "Estimating Models of Supply and Demand: Instruments and Covariance Restrictions”

Abstract: "We consider the identification of empirical models of supply and demand. As is well known, a supply-side instrument can resolve price endogeneity in demand estimation. We show that, under common assumptions, two other approaches also yield consistent estimates of the joint model: (i) a demand-side instrument, or (ii) a covariance restriction between unobserved demand and cost shocks. The covariance restriction approach can obtain identification even the absence of instruments. Further, supply and demand assumptions alone may bound the structural parameters. We develop an estimator for the covariance restriction approach that is constructed from the output of ordinary least squares regression and performs well in small samples. We illustrate the methodology with applications to ready-to-eat cereal, cement, and airlines."

The Applied Statistics Workshop (Gov 3009) meets all academic year, Wednesdays, 12pm-1:30pm, in CGIS K354. This workshop is a forum for advanced graduate students, faculty, and visiting scholars to present and discuss methodological or empirical work in progress in an interdisciplinary setting. The workshop features a tour of Harvard's statistical innovations and applications with weekly stops in different fields and disciplines and includes occasional presentations by invited speakers. Free lunch is provided.

 

The paper can be found here.

Zoom link:  https://harvard.zoom.us/j/987462892

 

More information is available at the Gov 3009 website: https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/applied.stats.workshop-gov3009