A Method for Working with Sign Restrictions in Structural Equation Modelling
Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics
Published online on April 29, 2016
Abstract
The paper sets out a method for handling sign restrictions in systems of simultaneous equations which are only partially identified. These sign restrictions might apply to either structural equation parameters or functions of them such as impulse responses. Initially a range of values for the unidentified parameters are generated and then the role of sign restrictions is to narrow the range. It is simple to apply and can be handled in packages such as EViews and Stata. Examples are given of how to implement it in a number of cases where there are both parametric and sign restrictions.