Mostly Harmless Econometrics
An Empiricist's Companion
Joshua D. Angrist
and
Jorn-Steffen Pischke
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS • PRINCETON AND OXFORD
CONTENTS
List of
Figures
vii
List of Tables ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xv
Organization of This Book xvii
I PRELIMINARIES
1
1 Questions about Questions 3 i ^
2 The Experimental Ideal 11
2.1 The Selection Problem 12
2.2 Random Assignment Solves the Selection Problem 15
2.3 Regression Analysis of Experiments 22
II THE CORE
25
3 Making Regression Make Sense 27
3.1 Regression Fundamentals 28
3.2 Regression and Causality 51
3.3 Heterogeneity and Nonlinearity 68
3.4 Regression Details 91
3.5 Appendix: Derivation of the Average Derivative
Weighting Function 110
4 Instrumental Variables in Action: Sometimes
You Get What You Need 113
4.1 IV and Causality 115
4.2 Asymptotic 2SLS Inference 138
4.3 Two-Sample IV and Split-Sample IV 147
vi Contents
4.4 IV with Heterogeneous Potential Outcomes 150
4.5 Generalizing LATE 173
4.6 IV Details 188
4.7 Appendix 216
5 Parallel Worlds: Fixed Effects, Differences-in-Differences,
and Panel Data 221
5.1 Individual Fixed Effects 221
5.2 Differences-in-Differences 227
5.3 Fixed Effects versus Lagged Dependent Variables 243
5.4 Appendix: More on Fixed Effects and Lagged
Dependent Variables 246
III EXTENSIONS
249
6 Getting a Little Jumpy: Regression Discontinuity
Designs 251
6.1 Sharp RD 251
6.2 Fuzzy RD Is IV 259
7 Quantile Regression 269
7.1 The Quantile Regression Model 270
7.2 IV Estimation of Quantile Treatment Effects 283
8 Nonstandard Standard Error Issues 293
8.1 The Bias of Robust Standard Error Estimates 294
8.2 Clustering and Serial Correlation in Panels 308
8.3 Appendix: Derivation of the Simple Moulton Factor 323
Last Words 111
Acronyms and Abbreviations 329
YLmpirical
Studies Index 335
References 339
Index 361