A Brief Overview of Nonparametric Methods in Economics

What the paper says

The concept of nonparametric analysis, estimation, and inference has a long and storied existence in the annals of economic measurement. At least four rather distinct types of analysis are lumped under the broad heading of nonparametrics. The oldest, and perhaps most common, is that associated with distribution-free methods and order statistics. Similar in spirit, but different in emphasis, is nonparametric density estimation, such as the currently popular kernel estimator for regression. Semi-parametric or semi-nonparametric estimation combines parametric analysis of portions of the problem with nonparametric specification for the remainder, such as the specification of a specific functional form for a regression function with a nonparametric representation of the error distribution. The final type of nonparametrics is that associated with data envelopment analysis and revealed preference, although the use of the term nonparametrics for this research is perhaps a misnomer. This paper will briefly review each of the four types of analysis, leaning heavily on other published work for more detailed exposition. The paper will then discuss in more detail the application of the revealed-preference approach to four specific economic problems: efficiency, the structure of technology or preferences, technical or taste change, and risky choice. The paper is not complete, exhaustive, or detailed. The primary purpose is to expose the reader to a variety of techniques and provide ample reference to the relevant literature.