Non-Standard Rates of Convergence of Criterion-Function-Based Set Estimators

Abstract

This paper establishes consistency and non‐standard rates of convergence for set estimators based on contour sets of criterion functions for a semi‐parametric binary response model under a conditional median restriction. The model can be partially identified due to potentially limited‐support regressors and an unknown distribution of errors. A set estimator analogous to the maximum score estimator is essentially cube‐root consistent for the identified set when a continuous but possibly bounded regressor is present. Arbitrarily fast convergence occurs when all regressors are discrete. We also establish the validity of a subsampling procedure for constructing confidence sets for the identified set. As a technical contribution, we provide more convenient sufficient conditions on the underlying empirical processes for cube‐root convergence and a sufficient condition for arbitrarily fast convergence, both of which can be applied to other models. Finally, we carry out a series of Monte Carlo experiments, which verify our theoretical findings and shed light on the finite‐sample performance of the proposed procedures.