Instrumental Variables Estimation in Political Science
A Readers’ Guide
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7608481 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Allison J Sovey (Yale University), Donald P Green (0000-0002-8850-438X, Yale University) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 188-200 |
| Publication date | 2011-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0092-5853 • E-ISSN: 1540-5907 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1540-5907.2010.00477.x |
| OpenAlex | W1520418864 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 195 |
| References cited | 34 |
The use of instrumental variables regression in political science has evolved from an obscure technique to a staple of the political science tool kit. Yet the surge of interest in the instrumental variables method has led to implementation of uneven quality. After providing a brief overview of the method and the assumptions on which it rests, we chart the ways in which these assumptions are invoked in practice in political science. We review more than 100 articles published in the American Journal of Political Science, the American Political Science Review, and World Politics over a 24-year span. We discuss in detail two noteworthy applications of instrumental variables regression, calling attention to the statistical assumptions that each invokes. The concluding section proposes reporting standards and provides a checklist for readers to consider as they evaluate applications of this method
Chart · Checklist · Cognitive psychology · Econometrics · Economics · Epistemology · Estimation · Flow chart · Instrumental variable · Management · Political science · Politics · Quality (philosophy · Section (typography · Statistics · Variables · Computer Science · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Engineering · Law · Mathematics · Political Conflict and Governance · Psychology · Qualitative Comparative Analysis Research
The Knowledge Gap in a High-Choice Media Environment
The Perils of International Capital
Rising Food Prices, Food Price Volatility, and Social Unrest
Internal and External Validity
Sharpening Blunt Instruments
Ideology and Agenda Setting in the High Court of Australia
Using Fidelity of Implementation Data in Randomized Controlled Trials
Outlier robust inference in the instrumental variable model with applications to causal effects
Impact of air pollution perception on environmental governance satisfaction
Internet Use, Cultural Engagement, and Multi-Dimensional Health of Older Adults
Natural experiments in leadership research
Causal effects of affordance change on communication behavior
Beyond coercion
Putting Up or Shutting Up
Peacekeeping, Policing, and the Rule of Law after Civil War
Hybrid Activism
Natural Experiments in the Social Sciences
Post-Instrument Bias
Too Early for Early Education? Effects on Parenting for Mothers and Fathers
Generalized Discrimination Perceptions and American Jewish Perception of Antisemitism
Impact of democracy on economic, human, and societal development
From killing many to targeting few
The Agglomeration of Manufacturing Industry, Innovation and Haze Pollution in China
Causal effect of obesity on the probability of employment in women in Turkey
China’s pathway to agricultural decarbonization
Success Factors for Humanitarian Access
The limits of energy independence
How the strategic context affects women's emergence and success in local legislative elections
The Impact of Geopolitical Influence on Regional Cooperation and Integration in East Asia
Democracy is good for the poor
Can Social Pressure Foster Responsiveness? An Open Records Field Experiment with Mayoral Offices
The Politics of Co-optation
Trust in Politicians and Satisfaction with Government – A Reciprocal Causation Approach for European Countries
How NGOs Influence US Foreign Aid Allocations
The Construction of Human Rights
Fragmented Labor Regime
Sexual Responsibility and the Politics of Abortion and Contraception
Power Sector Reforms and Technical Performance
Testing Causal Inference Between Social Media News Reliance and (Dis)trust of EU Institutions with an Instrumental Variable Approach
Navigating the labyrinth
South–South trade and collective labour laws
Does multiparty competition increase ethnic security fears? Evidence from North India
How Mothers Allocate Support Among Adult Children
Climate variability and individual motivations for participating in political violence
How do Multilateral Institutions Influence Individual Perceptions of International Affairs? Evidence from Europe and Asia
Do FOI laws and open government data deliver as anti-corruption policies? Evidence from a cross-country study
Time is on my side? The impact of timing and dispute type on militarized conflict duration
Of terrorism and revenue
Which comes first? Unpacking the relationship between peace agreements and peacekeeping missions
Trapping the tigers
The Promise of Experiments for Studying the Presidency
Revisiting the relationship between WIC participation and breastfeeding among low-income children in the U.S. after the 2009 WIC food package revision
Do Democracies Provide Better Education? Revisiting the Democracy–Human Capital Link
The Chicken or the Egg
From Media Attention to Negotiated Peace
Chiefs and Pre-Election Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa
Global Credit Markets, Political Violence, and Politically Sustainable Risk Premia
Horizontal inequality and armed conflict
Explaining local governments' cost efficiency
Electoral role models
Instrumental variables estimates of peer effects in social networks
Can peace be purchased? A sectoral-level analysis of aid’s influence on transnational terrorism
The Perils of Parliamentarism
Regime Type, Peace, and Reciprocal Effects
Governance, federalism and organizing institutions to manage complex problems
Outsourcing, bureaucratic personnel quality and citizen satisfaction with public services
Liberals should pray for rain
Where there’s a will, there’s a way
Covert Assignments
Lagged Explanatory Variables and the Estimation of Causal Effect
Can Corruption Erode Confidence in Political Institutions Among European Countries? Comparing the Effects of Different Measures of Perceived Corruption
Spatial interdependence and instrumental variable models
Bayesian Versus Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Treatment Effects in Bivariate Probit Instrumental Variable Models
Profiling Compliers and Noncompliers for Instrumental-Variable Analysis
How Much Should We Trust Instrumental Variable Estimates in Political Science? Practical Advice Based on 67 Replicated Studies
Coarsening Bias
Explaining the variation in the Europeanization of business
Postdisaster Reconstruction as a Cause of Intrastate Violence
State Strategies in Multi-Ethnic Territories
Instrumental Variables in Sociology and the Social Sciences
Handle with Care
Decay or Resilience
Do voters polarise in response to elite dissensus on immigration
Are opinion leaders better represented
Participatory effects of regional authority
Good Democrats, Bad Targets
Information, Knowledge, and Attitudes
Trojan Horse, Copycat, or Scapegoat? Unpacking the Refugees-Terrorism Nexus
The Development of an Issue Public
Political Centralization and Economic Performance
Causal Inference from Pivotal Politics Theories
Institutional Opposition, Regime Accountability, and International Conflict
More Donors, More Democracy
Once Racialized, Now “Immigrationized”? Explaining the Immigration-Welfare Link in American Public Opinion
How Can Mainstream Parties Prevent Niche Party Success? Center-Right Parties and the Immigration Issue
Macro Implementation
Vote choice and performance evaluations in competitive authoritarianism
Addressing the Endogeneity of Economic Evaluations in Models of Political Choice
Generating Usable Knowledge through an Experimental Approach to Public Administration
Cities Where Women Rule
Data Analysis Using Regression and Multilevel/Hierarchical Models
Semiparametric instrumental variable estimation of treatment response models
Natural “Natural Experiments” in Economics
Dams
Cluster-Sample Methods in Applied Econometrics
Bayesian Inference for Causal Effects
The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development
Limited-dependent and qualitative variables in econometrics
Economic Shocks and Civil Conflict
Using Cluster Randomized Field Experiments to Study Voting Behavior
Instrumental and "Quasi-Instrumental" Variables
Estimating the Effect of Campaign Spending on Senate Election Outcomes Using Instrumental Variables
Effectiveness of Negative Campaigning in U.S. Senate Elections
Improving Causal Inference
Analysis of Cluster-Randomized Experiments
Opium for the Masses
The Effect of Information on Voter Turnout
After the Credits Roll
Solidary Groups, Informal Accountability, and Local Public Goods Provision in Rural China
Religion and Economy
Avoiding Invalid Instruments and Coping with Weak Instruments
Do Electoral Quotas Work after They Are Withdrawn? Evidence from a Natural Experiment in India
The Effects of Canvassing, Telephone Calls, and Direct Mail on Voter Turnout
| Unique citing works | 195 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 13 |
| Citation span | 2011 - 2026 (16) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | Yes |
| Citation types | Neutral: 194 |