Many objects of interest can be expressed as an L2 continuous functional of a regression, including average treatment effects, economic average consumer surplus, expected conditional covariances, and discrete choice parameters that depend on expectations. Debiased machine learning (DML) of these objects requires a learninga Riesz representer (RR). We provide here Lasso and Dantzig learners of the RR and corresponding learners of affine and other nonlinear functionals. We give an asymptotic variance estimator for DML. We allow for a wide variety of regression learners that can converge at relatively slow rates. We give conditions for root-n consistency and asymptotic normality of the functional learner. We give results for non affine functionals in addition to affine functionals .
Many causal and structural effects depend on regressions. Examples include average treatment effects, policy effects, average derivatives, regression decompositions, economic average equivalent variation, and parameters of economic structural models. The regressions may be high dimensional. Plugging machine learners into identifying equations can lead to poor inference due to bias and/or model selection. This paper gives automatic debiasing for estimating equations and valid asymptotic inference for the estimators of effects of interest. The debiasing is automatic in that its construction uses the identifying equations without the full form of the bias correction and is performed by machine learning. Novel results include convergence rates for Lasso and Dantzig learners of the bias correction, primitive conditions for asymptotic inference for important examples, and general conditions for GMM. A variety of regression learners and identifying equations are covered. Automatic debiased machine learning (Auto-DML) is applied to estimating the average treatment effect on the treated for the NSW job training data and to estimating demand elasticities from Nielsen scanner data while allowing preferences to be correlated with prices and income .
R
objects of interest can be expressed as an L2 continuous functional of a regression, including
causal and structural effects depend on regressions. Examples include
R
economic average consumer surplus, expected conditional covariances, and discrete choice parameters that depend on expectations. Debiased machine learning (DML) of these objects requires a learninga Riesz representer (RR). We provide here
policy effects, average derivatives, regression decompositions, economic average equivalent variation, and parameters of economic structural models. The regressions may be high dimensional. Plugging machine learners into identifying equations can lead to poor inference due to bias and/or model selection. This paper gives automatic debiasing for estimating equations and valid asymptotic inference for the estimators of effects of interest. The debiasing is automatic in that its construction uses the identifying equations without the full form of the bias correction and is performed by machine learning. Novel results include convergence rates for
R
RR and corresponding learners of affine and other nonlinear functionals. We give an asymptotic variance estimator for DML. We allow for a wide
bias correction, primitive conditions for asymptotic inference for important examples, and general conditions for GMM. A
R
that can converge at relatively slow rates. We give conditions for root-n consistency and asymptotic normality of the functional learner. We give results for non affine functionals in addition to affine functionals
and identifying equations are covered. Automatic debiased machine learning (Auto-DML) is applied to estimating the average treatment effect on the treated for the NSW job training data and to estimating demand elasticities from Nielsen scanner data while allowing preferences to be correlated with prices and income