IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/cwl/cwldpp/1444.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Can One Estimate the Conditional Distribution of Post-Model-Selection Estimators?

Author

Listed:

Abstract

We consider the problem of estimating the conditional distribution of a post-model-selection estimator where the conditioning is on the selected model. The notion of a post-model-selection estimator here refers to the combined procedure resulting from first selecting a model (e.g., by a model selection criterion like AIC or by a hypothesis testing procedure) and second estimating the parameters in the selected model (e.g., by least-squares or maximum likelihood), all based on the same data set. We show that it is impossible to estimate this distribution with reasonable accuracy even asymptotically. In particular, we show that no estimator for this distribution can be uniformly consistent (not even locally). This follows as a corollary to (local) minimax lower bounds on the performance of estimators for this distribution. Similar impossibility results are also obtained for the conditional distribution of linear functions (e.g., predictors) of the post-model-selection estimator.

Suggested Citation

  • Hannes Leeb & Benedikt M. Potscher, 2003. "Can One Estimate the Conditional Distribution of Post-Model-Selection Estimators?," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 1444, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    • Handle: RePEc:cwl:cwldpp:1444
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://cowles.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/pub/d14/d1444.pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Brownstone, David, 1990. "Bootstrapping improved estimators for linear regression models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 44(1-2), pages 171-187.
    2. Leeb, Hannes & P tscher, Benedikt M., 2008. "Can One Estimate The Unconditional Distribution Of Post-Model-Selection Estimators?," Econometric Theory, Cambridge University Press, vol. 24(02), pages 338-376, April.
    3. Hubert, Florence & Pain, Nigel, 2001. "Inward Investment and Technical Progress in the United Kingdom Manufacturing Sector," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 48(2), pages 134-147, May.
    4. Leeb, Hannes & P tscher, Benedikt M., 2005. "Model Selection And Inference: Facts And Fiction," Econometric Theory, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(01), pages 21-59, February.
    5. Francis X. Diebold & Lutz Kilian & Marc Nerlove, 2006. "Time Series Analysis," PIER Working Paper Archive 06-019, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania.
      • Diebold, F.X. & Kilian, L. & Nerlove, Marc, 2006. "Time Series Analysis," Working Papers 28556, University of Maryland, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    6. Kapetanios, George, 2001. "Incorporating lag order selection uncertainty in parameter inference for AR models," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 72(2), pages 137-144, August.
    7. repec:cup:etheor:v:11:y:1995:i:3:p:537-49 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Hjort N.L. & Claeskens G., 2003. "Frequentist Model Average Estimators," Journal of the American Statistical Association, American Statistical Association, vol. 98, pages 879-899, January.
    9. Hannes Leeb, 2006. "The distribution of a linear predictor after model selection: Unconditional finite-sample distributions and asymptotic approximations," Papers math/0611186, arXiv.org.
    10. Kabaila, Paul, 1995. "The Effect of Model Selection on Confidence Regions and Prediction Regions," Econometric Theory, Cambridge University Press, vol. 11(03), pages 537-549, June.
    11. Pötscher, B.M., 1991. "Effects of Model Selection on Inference," Econometric Theory, Cambridge University Press, vol. 7(02), pages 163-185, June.
    12. Danilov, Dmitry & Magnus, J.R.Jan R., 2004. "On the harm that ignoring pretesting can cause," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 122(1), pages 27-46, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Inference after model selection; Post-model-selection estimator; Pre-test estimator; Selection of regressors; Akaikeis information criterion AIC; Model uncertainty; Consistency; Uniform consistency; Lower risk bound;

    JEL classification:

    • C21 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models
    • C50 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - General

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:cwl:cwldpp:1444. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Matthew Regan). General contact details of provider: http://edirc.repec.org/data/cowleus.html .

    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 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.

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

    IDEAS is a RePEc service hosted by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis . RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.