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OUTDETECT: Stata module to perform outlier detection and diagnostics for welfare analysts

Author

Listed:
  • Federico Belotti

    (University of Rome Tor Vergata)

  • Giulia Mancini

    (University of Rome Tor Vergata)

  • Giovanni Vecchi

    (University of Rome Tor Vergata)

Programming Language

Stata

Abstract

outdetect identifies outliers (extreme values) in the distribution of a variable, and assesses their impact on a selection of popular inequality and poverty measures. The procedure by which outliers are detected involves two steps. First, the distribution of the target variable is transformed to approach a standard normal distribution. Second, a threshold is applied to the transformed variable, to set the bounds of an outlier detection region (typically corresponding to the tails of the transformed distribution). Users are allowed to choose among a range of available transformations, or to let outdetect choose the best fitting transformation. The output of outdetect compares "raw" statistics (computed using the target variable as is), to "trimmed” statistics (computed using just those observations that are not flagged as outliers), allowing the analyst to appreciate the impact of extreme values on final estimates. The sensitivity of estimates to outliers can also be gauged by producing diagnostic graphs.

Suggested Citation

  • Federico Belotti & Giulia Mancini & Giovanni Vecchi, 2021. "OUTDETECT: Stata module to perform outlier detection and diagnostics for welfare analysts," Statistical Software Components S458932, Boston College Department of Economics, revised 25 Feb 2023.
    • Handle: RePEc:boc:bocode:s458932
    Note: This module should be installed from within Stata by typing "ssc install outdetect". The module is made available under terms of the GPL v3 (https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.txt). Windows users should not attempt to download these files with a web browser.
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://fmwww.bc.edu/repec/bocode/o/outdetect.ado
    File Function: program code
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: http://fmwww.bc.edu/repec/bocode/o/outdetect.sthlp
    File Function: help file
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: http://fmwww.bc.edu/repec/bocode/l/lout.mlib
    File Function: Mata object library
    Download Restriction: no
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