Methodologies of positive economics - Trygve Haavelmo

5 important questions on Methodologies of positive economics - Trygve Haavelmo

What was Trygve Haavelmo's contribution to the development of econometrics?

The probability approach (diagnosis confirmation) to econometrics and testing hypotheses: most economic variables depend on a lot of other variables, controlled experiments are not possible

Nature generates economic data samples (generated by data generating process (DGP). We should express economic models in terms of statistical relationships and test hypotheses to learn about this DGP (error terms)


What is the problem of passive observations?

Problem of passive observation: real economic phenomena cannot be artifically isolated from other influences (so it doesn't completely match with the theory) = passive observations

What is Haavelmo's distinction between factual and potential influences?

1. Potential influence: when the dependent factor is significantly different from zero, then it is said that the independent factor has potential influence

2. Factual influence: when you multiply the independent factor y with the independent factor x1. There are n factual influences

We can only measure factual influence
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What was Haavelmo's strategy to find economic laws?

1. Assume that a variable of y is affected by a large number of variables x1, x2, ..., xn
y = F(x1,x2,...,xn)

2. Test and keep only variables that have a non-negligible effect ( only keep x values significant effect)
y = F(x1,x2)
--> Stable relation; regularity within the data (economic law)

HOWEVER: can be possible that we throw away data that has potential influence on y

Worked out in the general-to-specific approach (LSE)

What were the two thing that Haavelmo influenced in modern day econometrics?

1. Finding economic laws
2. Simultaneous equations econometrics and hypothesis testing (Cowles Commission)

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