Academic work

Research & teaching videos

Published academic work in econometrics, alongside the complete economaths YouTube teaching series covering ECON20110 econometrics and time series methods.

YouTube · @economaths

Econometrics video lectures

The economaths channel covers two areas: a complete ECON20110 Econometrics course (University of Manchester) and a dedicated Time Series Econometrics series. All videos are free on YouTube.

Time Series Econometrics · 5 videos

Covers: stationarity, unit roots, ADF tests, spurious regression, ARIMA models, autocorrelation, Newey-West standard errors, cointegration. Read companion article →

ECON20110 Econometrics · Full course · University of Manchester

A complete undergraduate econometrics course covering regression theory, matrix methods, asymptotics, time series, and applied techniques. Each video is concise and focused on building understanding through worked examples.

Gauss-Markov Theorem, sketch of a proof
Two-tailed regression t-test
Regression coefficient confidence intervals
Multicollinearity
p-values
F-test for linear restrictions
IV notation and motivation
Matrix algebra: addition, multiplication, inverse
The regression model in matrix form
Estimator consistency and laws of large numbers
Asymptotic normality of OLS estimators
Random regressors and OLS properties
Regression assumptions for time series data
Spurious regression (ECON20110)
ARIMA estimation in R
Introduction to heteroskedasticity
Generalised least squares (GLS) theory
Detecting heteroskedasticity (ECON20110)
Heteroskedasticity detection in EViews
Introduction to autocorrelation
Newey-West standard errors
Ramsey RESET test (ECON20110)
Using dummy variables to model structural change
Measurement error
Two stage least squares to IV estimator
Testing for autocorrelation
Structural change example
IV and proxy variables
Maximum likelihood, a Poisson example
Introduction to Bayesian econometrics
Exam questions and worked solutions (multiple)

Visit the @economaths YouTube channel to watch all videos and subscribe for new content.

Published research

Academic papers

Research in econometric theory, generalised empirical likelihood, GMM, partial identification, weak instruments, and applied microeconometrics.

Journal article · 2019

How sensitive is the average taxpayer to changes in the tax-price of giving?

Peter G. Backus & Nicky L. Grant

International Tax and Public Finance, Vol. 26(2), pp. 317–356, Springer

Provides quantile estimates of the tax-price elasticity of charitable donations, controlling for unobserved heterogeneity. Uses the Correlated Random Effects Quantile estimator to address the puzzle that estimated price elasticities for the average taxpayer exceed those for wealthier itemisers.

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CeMMAP working paper · 2019 · CWP05/19

Generalised Anderson-Rubin statistic based inference in the presence of a singular moment variance matrix

Nicky L. Grant & Richard J. Smith

Centre for Microdata Methods and Practice, Institute for Fiscal Studies

Constructs a confidence region with pointwise asymptotically correct size for a parameter of interest based on a generalised Anderson-Rubin statistic. The key contribution is handling settings where the moment variance matrix may be singular, a case that arises in many practically important econometric models.

CeMMAP page →

CeMMAP working paper · 2018 · CWP23/18

GEL-based inference with unconditional moment inequality restrictions

Nicky L. Grant & Richard J. Smith

Centre for Microdata Methods and Practice, Institute for Fiscal Studies

Studies generalised empirical likelihood (GEL) methods for estimation of and inference on partially identified parameters in models specified by unconditional moment inequality constraints. Establishes large-sample equivalence with GMM and proposes simple conservative confidence regions for the identified set. Includes simulation evidence comparing GEL and non-diagonal GMM procedures.

CeMMAP page → Download PDF →

Book chapter · 2012

Overcoming the Many Weak Instrument Problem Using Normalized Principal Components

Nicky Grant

Essays in Honor of Jerry Hausman, Advances in Econometrics, Vol. 29, pp. 107–47. Eds: Baltagi, Hill, Newey, White. Emerald Publishing.

Introduces "normalized principal components" (NPCs) for IV estimation in the presence of many weak instruments. Shows that standard principal component reduction methods produce poor small-sample performance, and demonstrates through simulation that NPC-based selection substantially outperforms the standard approach.

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Teaching notes

Linear Models in Econometrics

Nicky Grant

University of Manchester, Department of Economics. ECON61001

Lecture notes covering the linear model, OLS, the zero conditional mean assumption, identification, consistency and asymptotic normality. Written for the postgraduate econometrics course at the University of Manchester.

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Full publication record on CeMMAP and Semantic Scholar. For questions about any of this work, get in touch.

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CeMMAP / IFS affiliated research University of Manchester Cambridge PhD Economics