The article discusses statistical inference in parametric models for panel data. The models feature dynamics of a general nature, individual effects, and possible explanatory variables. The focus is on large-cross-section inference on Gaussian pseudo maximum likelihood estimates with temporal dimension kept fixed, partially complementing and extending recent work of the authors. We focus on a particular kind of initial condition but go on to discuss implications of alternative initial conditions. Some possible further developments are briefly reviewed.

We consider a model with both a parametric global trend and a nonparametric local trend. This model may be of interest in a number of applications in economics, finance, ecology, and geology. We first propose two hypothesis tests to detect whether two nested special cases are appropriate. For the case where both null hypotheses are rejected, we propose an estimation method to capture certain aspects of the time trend. We establish consistency and some distribution theory in the presence of a large sample. Moreover, we examine the proposed hypothesis tests and estimation methods through both simulated and real data examples. Finally, we discuss some potential extensions and issues when modelling time effects.

In this article, we propose a new nonparametric density estimator derived from the theory of frames and Riesz bases. In particular, we propose the so-called bi-orthogonal density estimator based on the class of B-splines and derive its theoretical properties, including the asymptotically optimal choice of bandwidth. Detailed theoretical analysis and comparisons of our estimator with existing local basis and kernel density estimators are presented. The estimator is particularly well suited for high-frequency data analysis in financial and economic markets.

In this article, we consider binary response models with linear quantile restrictions. Considerably generalizing previous research on this topic, our analysis focuses on an infinite collection of quantile estimators. We derive a uniform linearization for the properly standardized empirical quantile process and discover some surprising differences with the setting of continuously observed responses. Moreover, we show that considering quantile processes provides an effective way of estimating binary choice probabilities without restrictive assumptions on the form of the link function, heteroskedasticity, or the need for high dimensional nonparametric smoothing necessary for approaches available so far. A uniform linear representation and results on asymptotic normality are provided, and the connection to rearrangements is discussed.

Nonparametric identification of the Mixed Hazard model is shown. The setup allows for covariates that are random, time-varying, satisfy a rich path structure and are censored by events. For each set of model parameters, an observed process is constructed. The process corresponding to the true model parameters is a martingale, the ones corresponding to incorrect model parameters are not. The unique martingale structure yields a family of moment conditions that only the true parameters can satisfy. These moments identify the model and suggest a GMM estimation approach. The moments do not require use of the hazard function.

This article studies a classical problem in statistical decision theory: a hypothesis test of a sharp null in the presence of a nuisance parameter. The main contribution of this article is a characterization of two finite-sample properties often deemed reasonable in this environment: admissibility and similarity. Admissibility means that a test cannot be improved uniformly over the parameter space. Similarity requires the null rejection probability to be unaffected by the nuisance parameter.

The characterization result has two parts. The first part—established by Chernozhukov, Hansen, and Jansson (2009, Econometric Theory 25, 806–818)—states that maximizing weighted average power (WAP) subject to a similarity constraint suffices to generate admissible, similar tests. The second part—hereby established—states that constrained WAP maximization is (essentially) a necessary condition for a test to be admissible and similar. The characterization result shows that choosing an admissible, similar test is tantamount to selecting a particular weight function to report weighted average power. This result applies to full vector inference with a nuisance parameter, not to subvector inference.

The article also revisits the theory of testing in the instrumental variables model. Specifically—and in light of the relevance of the weighted average power criterion in the main theoretical result—the article suggests a weight function for the structural parameters of the homoskedastic instrumental variables model, based on the priors proposed by Chamberlain (2007). The corresponding test is, by construction, admissible and similar. In addition, the test is shown to have finite- and large-sample properties comparable to those of the conditional likelihood ratio test.