Geographic Difference-in-Discontinuities

Kyle Butts^1
1University of Colorado: Boulder

Applied Economics Letters (2021).

Published Version | Paper | Five-minute Summary

Abstract

A recent econometric literature has critiqued the use of regression discontinuities where administrative borders serves as the 'cutoff'. Identification in this context is difficult since multiple treatments can change at the cutoff and individuals can easily sort on either side of the border. This note extends the difference-in-discontinuities framework discussed in Grembi et. al. (2016) to a geographic setting. The paper formalizes the identifying assumptions in this context which will allow for the removal of time-invariant sorting and compound-treatments similar to the difference-in-differences methodology.

Citation

@article{butts2021geographic,
  title={Geographic difference-in-discontinuities},
  author={Butts, Kyle},
  journal={Applied Economics Letters},
  pages={1--5},
  year={2021},
  publisher={Taylor \& Francis}
}