Structural Equations, Treatment Effects, and Econometric Policy Evaluation

James J. Heckman and Edward Vytlacil

Econometrica, 2005, vol. 73, issue 3, 669-738

Abstract: This paper uses the marginal treatment effect (MTE) to unify the nonparametric literature on treatment effects with the econometric literature on structural estimation using a nonparametric analog of a policy invariant parameter; to generate a variety of treatment effects from a common semiparametric functional form; to organize the literature on alternative estimators; and to explore what policy questions commonly used estimators in the treatment effect literature answer. A fundamental asymmetry intrinsic to the method of instrumental variables (IV) is noted. Recent advances in IV estimation allow for heterogeneity in responses but not in choices, and the method breaks down when both choice and response equations are heterogeneous in a general way. Copyright The Econometric Society 2005.

Date: 2005
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (765)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/j.1468-0262.2005.00594.x link to full text (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
Working Paper: Structural Equations, Treatment Effects and Econometric Policy Evaluation (2005)
Working Paper: Structural Equations, Treatment Effects and Econometric Policy Evaluation (2005)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ecm:emetrp:v:73:y:2005:i:3:p:669-738

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.economet ... ordering-back-issues

Access Statistics for this article

Econometrica is currently edited by Guido Imbens

More articles in Econometrica from Econometric Society Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().