The paper of how: Estimating treatment effects using the front-door criterion

We illustrate the use of Pearl's (1995) front-door criterion with observational data with an application in which the assumptions for point identification hold. For identification, the front-door criterion leverages exogenous mediator variables on the causal path. After a preliminary discussion of t...

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Main Authors: Bellemare, Marc F., Bloem, Jeffrey R., Wexler, Noah
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Wiley 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/138817
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author Bellemare, Marc F.
Bloem, Jeffrey R.
Wexler, Noah
author_browse Bellemare, Marc F.
Bloem, Jeffrey R.
Wexler, Noah
author_facet Bellemare, Marc F.
Bloem, Jeffrey R.
Wexler, Noah
author_sort Bellemare, Marc F.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description We illustrate the use of Pearl's (1995) front-door criterion with observational data with an application in which the assumptions for point identification hold. For identification, the front-door criterion leverages exogenous mediator variables on the causal path. After a preliminary discussion of the identification assumptions behind and the estimation framework used for the front-door criterion, we present an empirical application. In our application, we look at the effect of deciding to share an Uber or Lyft ride on tipping by exploiting the algorithm-driven exogenous variation in whether one actually shares a ride conditional on authorizing sharing, the full fare paid, and origin–destination fixed effects interacted with two-hour interval fixed effects. We find that most of the observed negative relationship between choosing to share a ride and tipping is driven by customer selection into sharing rather than by sharing itself. In the Appendix, we explore the consequences of violating the identification assumptions for the front-door criterion.
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spelling CGSpace1388172025-10-26T12:55:29Z The paper of how: Estimating treatment effects using the front-door criterion Bellemare, Marc F. Bloem, Jeffrey R. Wexler, Noah economics data approximation transport We illustrate the use of Pearl's (1995) front-door criterion with observational data with an application in which the assumptions for point identification hold. For identification, the front-door criterion leverages exogenous mediator variables on the causal path. After a preliminary discussion of the identification assumptions behind and the estimation framework used for the front-door criterion, we present an empirical application. In our application, we look at the effect of deciding to share an Uber or Lyft ride on tipping by exploiting the algorithm-driven exogenous variation in whether one actually shares a ride conditional on authorizing sharing, the full fare paid, and origin–destination fixed effects interacted with two-hour interval fixed effects. We find that most of the observed negative relationship between choosing to share a ride and tipping is driven by customer selection into sharing rather than by sharing itself. In the Appendix, we explore the consequences of violating the identification assumptions for the front-door criterion. 2024-08 2024-02-01T17:44:48Z 2024-02-01T17:44:48Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/138817 en Open Access Wiley Bellemare, Marc F.; Bloem, Jeffrey R.; and Wexler, Noah. 2024. The paper of how: Estimating treatment effects using the front-door criterion. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics 86(4): 951-993. https://doi.org/10.1111/obes.12598
spellingShingle economics
data
approximation
transport
Bellemare, Marc F.
Bloem, Jeffrey R.
Wexler, Noah
The paper of how: Estimating treatment effects using the front-door criterion
title The paper of how: Estimating treatment effects using the front-door criterion
title_full The paper of how: Estimating treatment effects using the front-door criterion
title_fullStr The paper of how: Estimating treatment effects using the front-door criterion
title_full_unstemmed The paper of how: Estimating treatment effects using the front-door criterion
title_short The paper of how: Estimating treatment effects using the front-door criterion
title_sort paper of how estimating treatment effects using the front door criterion
topic economics
data
approximation
transport
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/138817
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