Design-adaptive nonparametric estimation of conditional quantile derivatives

S. C. Goh
2012 Journal of nonparametric statistics (Print)  
This paper proposes a new approach to constructing nonparametric estimators of conditional quantile functions and their derivatives with respect to conditioning variables. The new approach is intended specifically to produce estimators with asymptotic biases that do not depend on the design density. This is in marked contrast to more conventional nonparametric estimators based on locally polynomial quantile regressions. The specific approach taken in this paper involves the kernel smoothing of
more » ... he ratio of a preliminary nonparametric estimate of the conditional quantile function to another preliminary estimate of the design density. Monte Carlo evidence indicates that the proposed estimators compare favourably to nonparametric estimators based on local polynomials. An empirical example exploring the relationship between individual earnings and potential work experience is also included. JEL Classification: C13, C14, C21
doi:10.1080/10485252.2012.688826 fatcat:wct5svg7dbdi7et2ovgc2aazxy