Fiche du document
17 juillet 2020
- 2007.09213
Mots-clés
Economics - Theoretical Economics Computer Science - Computer Science and Game Theory Economics - EconometricsSujets proches
Economic theory Political economyCiter ce document
Drew Fudenberg et al., « How Flexible is that Functional Form? Quantifying the Restrictiveness of Theories », arXiv - économie
Partage / Export
Résumé
We propose a restrictiveness measure for economic models based on how well they fit synthetic data from a pre-defined class. This measure, together with a measure for how well the model fits real data, outlines a Pareto frontier, where models that rule out more regularities, yet capture the regularities that are present in real data, are preferred. To illustrate our approach, we evaluate the restrictiveness of popular models in two laboratory settings -- certainty equivalents and initial play -- and in one field setting -- takeup of microfinance in Indian villages. The restrictiveness measure reveals new insights about each of the models, including that some economic models with only a few parameters are very flexible.