DP7447 Frequentist Inference in Weakly Identified DSGE Models
| Author(s): | Pablo A. Guerron-Quintana, Atsushi Inoue, Lutz Kilian |
| Publication Date: | September 2009 |
| Keyword(s): | Bayes factor, Bayesian estimation, Confidence set, DSGE models, Identification, Inference, Likelihood ratio |
| JEL(s): | C32, C52, E30, E50 |
| Programme Areas: | International Macroeconomics |
| Link to this Page: | cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=7447 |
We show that in weakly identified models (1) the posterior mode will not be a consistent estimator of the true parameter vector, (2) the posterior distribution will not be Gaussian even asymptotically, and (3) Bayesian credible sets and frequentist confidence sets will not coincide asymptotically. This means that Bayesian DSGE estimation should not be interpreted merely as a convenient device for obtaining asymptotically valid point estimates and confidence sets from the posterior distribution. As an alternative, we develop new frequentist confidence sets for structural DSGE model parameters that remain asymptotically valid regardless of the strength of the identification.