Assessing the accuracy of the aggregate law of motion in models with heterogeneous agents

Authors
Publication date 2010
Journal Journal of Economic Dynamics & Control
Volume | Issue number 34 | 1
Pages (from-to) 79-99
Organisations
  • Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) - Amsterdam School of Economics Research Institute (ASE-RI)
Abstract This paper shows that the R2 and the standard error have fatal flaws and are inadequate accuracy tests. Using data from a Krusell-Smith economy, I show that approximations for the law of motion of aggregate capital, for which the true standard deviation of aggregate capital is up to 14% (119%) higher than the implied value and which are thus clearly inaccurate, can have an R2 as high as 0.9999 (0.99). Key in generating a more powerful test is that predictions of the aggregate law of motion are not updated with the aggregated simulated individual data.
Document type Article
Language English
Published at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jedc.2008.12.009
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