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Maximum Likelihood Estimation with Stata, Fifth Edition

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Authors:	Jeffrey Pitblado, Brian Poi, and William Gould
Publisher:	Stata Press
Copyright:	2024
ISBN-13:	978-1-59718-411-3
Pages:	472; paperback
Price:	$68.00

Preface to the Fifth Edition
Author index
Subject index
Errata
Download the datasets used in this book (from stata-press.com)

Comment from the Stata technical group

Maximum Likelihood Estimation with Stata, Fifth Edition is the essential reference and guide for researchers in all disciplines who wish to write maximum likelihood (ML) estimators in Stata. Beyond providing comprehensive coverage of Stata's command for writing ML estimators, the book presents an overview of the underpinnings of maximum likelihood and how to think about ML estimation.

The fifth edition includes a new second chapter that demonstrates the easy-to-use mlexp command. This command allows you to directly specify a likelihood function and perform estimation without any programming.

The core of the book focuses on Stata's ml command. It shows you how to take full advantage of ml’s noteworthy features:

Linear constraints
Four optimization algorithms (Newton–Raphson, DFP, BFGS, and BHHH)
Observed information matrix (OIM) variance estimator
Outer product of gradients (OPG) variance estimator
Huber/White/sandwich robust variance estimator
Cluster–robust variance estimator
Complete and automatic support for survey data analysis
Direct support of evaluator functions written in Mata

When appropriate options are used, many of these features are provided automatically by ml and require no special programming or intervention by the researcher writing the estimator.

In later chapters, you will learn how to take advantage of Mata, Stata's matrix programming language. For ease of programming and potential speed improvements, you can write your likelihood-evaluator program in Mata and continue to use ml to control the maximization process. A new chapter in the fifth edition shows how you can use the moptimize() suite of Mata functions if you want to implement your maximum likelihood estimator entirely within Mata.

In the final chapter, the authors illustrate the major steps required to get from log-likelihood function to fully operational estimation command. This is done using several different models: logit and probit, linear regression, Weibull regression, the Cox proportional hazards model, random-effects regression, and seemingly unrelated regression. This edition adds a new example of a bivariate Poisson model, a model that is not available otherwise in Stata.

The authors provide extensive advice for developing your own estimation commands. With a little care and the help of this book, users will be able to write their own estimation commands—commands that look and behave just like the official estimation commands in Stata.

Whether you want to fit a special ML estimator for your own research or wish to write a general-purpose ML estimator for others to use, you need this book.

About the authors

Jeff Pitblado is Executive Director, Statistical Software at StataCorp. Pitblado has played a leading role in the development of ml: he added the ability of ml to work with survey data, and he wrote the current implementation of ml in Mata.

Brian Poi previously worked as a developer at StataCorp and wrote many popular econometric estimators in Stata. Since then, he has applied his knowledge of econometrics and statistical programming in several areas, including macroeconomic forecasting, credit analytics, and bank stress testing.

William Gould is President Emeritus of StataCorp and headed the development of Stata for over 30 years. Gould is also the architect of Mata.

View table of contents >>

List of tables

List of figures

Preface to the fifth edition (PDF)

Versions of Stata

Notation and typography

1 Theory and practice

1.1 The likelihood-maximization problem
1.2 Likelihood theory

1.2.1 All results are asymptotic
1.2.2 Likelihood-ratio tests and Wald tests
1.2.3 The outer product of gradients variance estimator
1.2.4 Robust variance estimates

1.3 The maximization problem

1.3.1 Numerical root finding

Newton’s method
The Newton–Raphson algorithm

1.3.2 Quasi-Newton methods

The BHHH algorithm
The DFP and BFGS algorithms

1.3.3 Numerical maximization
1.3.4 Numerical derivatives
1.3.5 Numerical second derivatives

1.4 Monitoring convergence

2 Estimation with mlexp

2.1 Syntax
2.2 Normal linear regression
2.3 Initial values
2.4 Restricted parameters
2.5 Robust standard errors
2.6 The probit model
2.7 Specifying derivatives
2.8 Additional estimation features
2.9 Wrapping up

3 Introduction to ml

3.1 The probit model
3.2 Normal linear regression
3.3 Robust standard errors
3.4 Weighted estimation
3.5 Other features of method-gf0 evaluators
3.6 Limitations

4 Overview of ml

4.1 The terminology of ml
4.2 Equations in ml
4.3 Likelihood-evaluator methods
4.4 Tools for the ml programmer
4.5 Common ml options

4.5.1 Subsamples
4.5.2 Weights
4.5.3 OPG estimates of variance
4.5.4 Robust estimates of variance
4.5.5 Survey data
4.5.6 Constraints
4.5.7 Choosing among the optimization algorithms

4.6 Maximizing your own likelihood functions
4.7 Appendix: More about scalar parameters

5 Method lf

5.1 The linear-form restrictions
5.2 Examples

5.2.1 The probit model
5.2.2 Normal linear regression
5.2.3 The Weibull model

5.3 The importance of generating temporary variables as doubles
5.4 Problems you can safely ignore
5.5 Nonlinear specifications
5.6 The advantages of lf in terms of execution speed

6 Methods lf0, lf1, and lf2

6.1 Comparing these methods
6.2 Outline of evaluators of methods lf0, lf1, and lf2

6.2.1 The todo argument
6.2.2 The b argument

Using mleval to obtain equation and free-parameter values

6.2.3 The lnfj argument
6.2.4 Arguments for scores
6.2.5 The H argument

Using mlmatsum to define H

6.2.6 Aside: Stata’s scalars

6.3 Summary of methods lf0, lf1, and lf2

6.3.1 Method lf0
6.3.2 Method lf1
6.3.3 Method lf2

6.4 Examples

6.4.1 The probit model
6.4.2 Normal linear regression
6.4.3 The Weibull model

7 Methods d0, d1, and d2

7.1 Comparing these methods
7.2 Outline of method d0, d1, and d2 evaluators

7.2.1 The todo argument
7.2.2 The b argument
7.2.3 The lnf argument

Using lnf to indicate that the likelihood cannot be calculated
Using mlsum to define lnf

7.2.4 The g argument

Using mlvecsum to define g

7.2.5 The H argument

7.3 Summary of methods d0, d1, and d2

7.3.1 Method d0
7.3.2 Method d1
7.3.3 Method d2

7.4 Panel-data likelihoods

7.4.1 Calculating lnf
7.4.2 Calculating g
7.4.3 Calculating H

Using mlmatbysum to help define H

7.5 Other models that do not meet the linear-form restrictions

8 Debugging likelihood evaluators

8.1 ml check
8.2 Using the debug methods

8.2.1 First derivatives
8.2.2 Second derivatives

8.3 ml trace

9 Setting initial values

9.1 ml search
9.2 ml plot
9.3 ml init

10 Interactive maximization

10.1 The iteration log
10.2 Pressing the Break key
10.3 Maximizing difficult likelihood functions

11 Final results

11.1 Graphing convergence
11.2 Redisplaying output

12 Writing do-files to maximize likelihoods

12.1 The structure of a do-file
12.2 Puttinig the do-file into production

13 Writing ado-files to maximize likelihoods

13.1 Writing estimation commands
13.2 The standard estimation-command outline
13.3 Outline for estimation commands using ml
13.4 Using ml in noninteractive mode

13.4.1 Parsing with help from _get_diopts

13.5 Advice

13.5.1 Syntax
13.5.2 Estimation subsample
13.5.3 Parsing with help from mlopts
13.5.4 Weights
13.5.5 Constant-only model
13.5.6 Initial values
13.5.7 Saving results in e()
13.5.8 Displaying ancillary parameters
13.5.9 Exponentiated coefficients
13.5.10 Offsetting linear equations
13.5.11 Program properties

14 Writing ado-files for survey data analysis

14.1 Program properties
14.2 Writing your own predict command

15 Mata-based likelihood evaluators

15.1 Introductory examples

15.1.1 The probit model
15.1.2 The Weibull model

15.2 Evaluator function prototypes

Method-lf evaluators
lf-family evaluators
d-family evaluators

15.3 Utilities

Dependent variables
Obtaining model parameters
Summing individual or group-level log likelihoods
Calculating the gradient vector
Calculating the Hessian

15.4 Random-effects linear regression

15.4.1 Calculating lnf
15.4.2 Calculating g
15.4.3 Calculating H
15.4.4 Results at last

15.5 Ado-file considerations

16 Mata's moptimize() function

16.1 Introductory examples

16.1.1 The probit model
16.1.2 The Weibull model

16.2 Restricting the estimation sample

16.2.1 Using moptimize_init_touse()
16.2.2 Not using moptimize_init_touse()

16.3 Estimation preliminaries

16.3.1 Weights
16.3.2 Panel data and clusters
16.3.3 Survey data
16.3.4 Initial values

16.4 Estimation
16.5 Results

16.5.1 Displaying results
16.5.2 Retrieving results
16.5.3 Storing results in e()

16.6 Estimation commands

16.6.1 Common maximization options
16.6.2 Initial values
16.6.3 Constraints

16.7 Regression redux

17 Other examples

17.1 The logit model
17.2 The probit model
17.3 Normal linear regression
17.4 The Weibull model
17.5 The Cox proportional hazards model
17.6 The random-effects regression model
17.7 The seemingly unrelated regression model
17.8 A bivariate Poission regression model

17.8.1 A bivariate Poisson distribution
17.8.2 Bivariate Poisson regression
17.8.3 Discussion

17.9 Epilogue

A Syntax of mlexp

B Syntax of ml

C Syntax of moptimize()

D Likelihood-evaluator checklists

D.1 Method lf
D.2 Method d0
D.3 Method d1
D.4 Method d2
D.5 Method lf0
D.6 Method lf1
D.7 Method lf2

E Listing of estimation commands

E.1 The logit model
E.2 The probit model
E.3 The normal model
E.4 The Weibull model
E.5 The Cox proportional hazards model
E.6 The random-effects regression model
E.7 The seemingly unrelated regression model
E.8 A bivariate Poisson regression model

References

Author index (PDF)

Subject index (PDF)

Maximum Likelihood Estimation with Stata, Fifth Edition

Comment from the Stata technical group

About the authors

Table of contents

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Maximum Likelihood Estimation with Stata, Fifth Edition

Comment from the Stata technical group

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