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on Computational Economics |
| By: | Nikos Askitas; Nikolaos Askitas |
| Abstract: | This paper addresses the steep learning curve in Machine Learning faced by non-computer scientists, particularly social scientists, stemming from the absence of a primer on its fundamental principles. I adopt a pedagogical strategy inspired by the adage ”once you understand OLS, you can work your way up to any other estimator, ” and apply it to Machine Learning. Focusing on a single-hidden-layer artificial neural network, the paper discusses its mathematical underpinnings, including the pivotal Universal Approximation Theorem—an essential ”existence theorem”. The exposition extends to the algorithmic exploration of solutions, specifically through “feed forward” and “back-propagation”, and rounds up with the practical implementation in Python. The objective of this primer is to equip readers with a solid elementary comprehension of first principles and fire some trailblazers to the forefront of AI and causal machine learning. |
| Keywords: | machine learning, deep learning, supervised learning, artificial neural network, perceptron, Python, keras, tensorflow, universal approximation theorem |
| JEL: | C01 C87 C00 C60 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11353 |
| By: | Belguutei Ariuntugs; Kehelwala Dewage Gayan Madurang |
| Abstract: | In the data-driven world of actuarial science, machine learning (ML) plays a crucial role in predictive modeling, enhancing risk assessment and pricing strategies. Neural networks, specifically combined actuarial neural networks (CANN), are vital for tasks such as mortality forecasting and pricing. However, optimizing hyperparameters (e.g., learning rates, layers) is essential for resource efficiency. This study utilizes a factorial design and response surface methodology (RSM) to optimize CANN performance. RSM effectively explores the hyperparameter space and captures potential curvature, outperforming traditional grid search. Our results show accurate performance predictions, identifying critical hyperparameters. By dropping statistically insignificant hyperparameters, we reduced runs from 288 to 188, with negligible loss in accuracy, achieving near-optimal out-of-sample Poisson deviance loss. |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2410.12824 |
| By: | Zachary Sheldon; Peeyush Kumar |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the intersection of economic anthropology and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). It examines how large language models (LLMs) can simulate human decision-making and the inductive biases present in AI research. The study introduces two AI models: C.A.L.L.O.N. (Conventionally Average Late Liberal ONtology) and M.A.U.S.S. (More Accurate Understanding of Society and its Symbols). The former is trained on standard data, while the latter is adapted with anthropological knowledge. The research highlights how anthropological training can enhance LLMs' ability to recognize diverse economic systems and concepts. The findings suggest that integrating economic anthropology with AI can provide a more pluralistic understanding of economics and improve the sustainability of non-market economic systems. |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2410.15238 |
| By: | Jian-Qiao Zhu; Joshua C. Peterson; Benjamin Enke; Thomas L. Griffiths |
| Abstract: | Understanding how people behave in strategic settings–where they make decisions based on their expectations about the behavior of others–is a longstanding problem in the behavioral sciences. We conduct the largest study to date of strategic decision-making in the context of initial play in two-player matrix games, analyzing over 90, 000 human decisions across more than 2, 400 procedurally generated games that span a much wider space than previous datasets. We show that a deep neural network trained on these data predicts people’s choices better than leading theories of strategic behavior, indicating that there is systematic variation that is not explained by those theories. We then modify the network to produce a new, interpretable behavioural model, revealing what the original network learned about people: their ability to optimally respond and their capacity to reason about others are dependent on the complexity of individual games. This context-dependence is critical in explaining deviations from the rational Nash equilibrium, response times, and uncertainty in strategic decisions. More broadly, our results demonstrate how machine learning can be applied beyond prediction to further help generate novel explanations of complex human behavior. |
| Keywords: | behavioural game theory, large scale experiment, machine learning, behavioral economics, complexity |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11296 |
| By: | Peter B. Dixon; Maureen T. Rimmer; Florian Schiffmann |
| Abstract: | Neural Network (NN) theory provides a powerful method for approximating the reduced form of a large-scale multi-regional CGE model. However, NN methods are relatively unknown by CGE modellers. We set out the theory of the NN approximation method and demonstrate how it works with simple examples. The paper is motivated by a project for a client with limited in-house CGE capabilities but requiring the ability to obtain CGE solutions at short notice in a confidential environment. We describe how an NN approximation meets the client's needs. The NN approximation is more accurate and broadly applicable than earlier approaches that CGE modellers have used based on regression equations and matrices of elasticities. |
| Keywords: | Neural network method explained, Neural network approximations to reduced forms, Multi-regional computable general equilibrium models |
| JEL: | C45 C68 |
| Date: | 2024–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cop:wpaper:g-348 |
| By: | Pranjal Rawat |
| Abstract: | Traditional methods for computing equilibria in auctions become computationally intractable as auction complexity increases, particularly in multi-item and dynamic auctions. This paper introduces a self-play based reinforcement learning approach that employs advanced algorithms such as Proximal Policy Optimization and Neural Fictitious Self-Play to approximate Bayes-Nash equilibria. This framework allows for continuous action spaces, high-dimensional information states, and delayed payoffs. Through self-play, these algorithms can learn robust and near-optimal bidding strategies in auctions with known equilibria, including those with symmetric and asymmetric valuations, private and interdependent values, and multi-round auctions. |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2410.13960 |
| By: | Zijie Zhao; Roy E. Welsch |
| Abstract: | Leveraging Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) in automated stock trading has shown promising results, yet its application faces significant challenges, including the curse of dimensionality, inertia in trading actions, and insufficient portfolio diversification. Addressing these challenges, we introduce the Hierarchical Reinforced Trader (HRT), a novel trading strategy employing a bi-level Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning framework. The HRT integrates a Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO)-based High-Level Controller (HLC) for strategic stock selection with a Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG)-based Low-Level Controller (LLC) tasked with optimizing trade executions to enhance portfolio value. In our empirical analysis, comparing the HRT agent with standalone DRL models and the S&P 500 benchmark during both bullish and bearish market conditions, we achieve a positive and higher Sharpe ratio. This advancement not only underscores the efficacy of incorporating hierarchical structures into DRL strategies but also mitigates the aforementioned challenges, paving the way for designing more profitable and robust trading algorithms in complex markets. |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2410.14927 |
| By: | Lin, Yang; Thackway, William; Soundararaj, Balamurugan; Eagleson, Serryn; Han, Hoon; Pettit, Christopher |
| Abstract: | Planning for sustainable urban growth is a pressing challenge facing many cities. Investigating proposed changes to the built environment can provide planners and policymakers information to understand future urban development trends and related infrastructure requirements. It is in this context we have developed a novel urban analytics approach that utilises planning applications (PAs) data and Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to forecast the housing supply pipeline in Australia. Firstly, we implement a data processing pipeline which scrapes, geocodes, and filters PA data from council websites and planning portals to provide the first nationally available daily dataset of PAs that are currently under consideration. Secondly, we classify the collected PAs into four distinct urban development categories, selected based on infrastructure planning provisioning requirements. Of the five model architectures tested, we found that the fine-tuned DeBERTA-v3 model achieves the best performance with an accuracy and F1-score of 0.944. This demonstrates the suitability of fine-tuned Pre-trained Language Models (PLMs) for planning text classification tasks. Finally, the model is applied to classify and map urban development trends in Australia’s two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, from 2021-2022 and 2023-2024. The mapping affirms a face-validation test of the classification model and demonstrates the utility of PA insights for planners. Holistically, the paper demonstrates the potential for NLP to enrich urban analytics through the integration of previously inaccessible planning text data into planning analysis and decisions. |
| Date: | 2024–10–25 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:fs76e |
| By: | Zimeng Lyu; Amulya Saxena; Rohaan Nadeem; Hao Zhang; Travis Desell |
| Abstract: | Stock return forecasting is a major component of numerous finance applications. Predicted stock returns can be incorporated into portfolio trading algorithms to make informed buy or sell decisions which can optimize returns. In such portfolio trading applications, the predictive performance of a time series forecasting model is crucial. In this work, we propose the use of the Evolutionary eXploration of Augmenting Memory Models (EXAMM) algorithm to progressively evolve recurrent neural networks (RNNs) for stock return predictions. RNNs are evolved independently for each stocks and portfolio trading decisions are made based on the predicted stock returns. The portfolio used for testing consists of the 30 companies in the Dow-Jones Index (DJI) with each stock have the same weight. Results show that using these evolved RNNs and a simple daily long-short strategy can generate higher returns than both the DJI index and the S&P 500 Index for both 2022 (bear market) and 2023 (bull market). |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2410.17212 |
| By: | Mahdi Ebrahimi Kahou; Jesús Fernández-Villaverde; Sebastián Gómez-Cardona; Jesse Perla; Jan Rosa |
| Abstract: | In the long run, we are all dead. Nonetheless, when studying the short-run dynamics of economic models, it is crucial to consider boundary conditions that govern long-run, forward-looking behavior, such as transversality conditions. We demonstrate that machine learning (ML) can automatically satisfy these conditions due to its inherent inductive bias toward finding flat solutions to functional equations. This characteristic enables ML algorithms to solve for transition dynamics, ensuring that long-run boundary conditions are approximately met. ML can even select the correct equilibria in cases of steady-state multiplicity. Additionally, the inductive bias provides a foundation for modeling forward-looking behavioural agents with self-consistent expectations. |
| Keywords: | machine learning, inductive bias, rational expectations, transitional dynamics, transversality, behavioural macroeconomics |
| JEL: | C10 E10 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11292 |
| By: | Lukas Gonon; Thilo Meyer-Brandis; Niklas Weber |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates systemic risk measures for stochastic financial networks of explicitly modelled bilateral liabilities. We extend the notion of systemic risk measures from Biagini, Fouque, Fritelli and Meyer-Brandis (2019) to graph structured data. In particular, we focus on an aggregation function that is derived from a market clearing algorithm proposed by Eisenberg and Noe (2001). In this setting, we show the existence of an optimal random allocation that distributes the overall minimal bailout capital and secures the network. We study numerical methods for the approximation of systemic risk and optimal random allocations. We propose to use permutation equivariant architectures of neural networks like graph neural networks (GNNs) and a class that we name (extended) permutation equivariant neural networks ((X)PENNs). We compare their performance to several benchmark allocations. The main feature of GNNs and (X)PENNs is that they are permutation equivariant with respect to the underlying graph data. In numerical experiments we find evidence that these permutation equivariant methods are superior to other approaches. |
| Date: | 2024–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2410.07222 |
| By: | Emmanuel Gnabeyeu; Omar Karkar; Imad Idboufous |
| Abstract: | The volatility fitting is one of the core problems in the equity derivatives business. Through a set of deterministic rules, the degrees of freedom in the implied volatility surface encoding (parametrization, density, diffusion) are defined. Whilst very effective, this approach widespread in the industry is not natively tailored to learn from shifts in market regimes and discover unsuspected optimal behaviors. In this paper, we change the classical paradigm and apply the latest advances in Deep Reinforcement Learning(DRL) to solve the fitting problem. In particular, we show that variants of Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) and Soft Actor Critic (SAC) can achieve at least as good as standard fitting algorithms. Furthermore, we explain why the reinforcement learning framework is appropriate to handle complex objective functions and is natively adapted for online learning. |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2410.11789 |
| By: | Kelvin J. L. Koa; Yunshan Ma; Ritchie Ng; Huanhuan Zheng; Tat-Seng Chua |
| Abstract: | Stock portfolios are often exposed to rare consequential events (e.g., 2007 global financial crisis, 2020 COVID-19 stock market crash), as they do not have enough historical information to learn from. Large Language Models (LLMs) now present a possible tool to tackle this problem, as they can generalize across their large corpus of training data and perform zero-shot reasoning on new events, allowing them to detect possible portfolio crash events without requiring specific training data. However, detecting portfolio crashes is a complex problem that requires more than basic reasoning abilities. Investors need to dynamically process the impact of each new information found in the news articles, analyze the the relational network of impacts across news events and portfolio stocks, as well as understand the temporal context between impacts across time-steps, in order to obtain the overall aggregated effect on the target portfolio. In this work, we propose an algorithmic framework named Temporal Relational Reasoning (TRR). It seeks to emulate the spectrum of human cognitive capabilities used for complex problem-solving, which include brainstorming, memory, attention and reasoning. Through extensive experiments, we show that TRR is able to outperform state-of-the-art solutions on detecting stock portfolio crashes, and demonstrate how each of the proposed components help to contribute to its performance through an ablation study. Additionally, we further explore the possible applications of TRR by extending it to other related complex problems, such as the detection of possible global crisis events in Macroeconomics. |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2410.17266 |
| By: | Prithwiraj Choudhury; Bart S. Vanneste; Amirhossein Zohrehvand |
| Abstract: | Can generative artificial intelligence (AI) transform the role of the CEO by effectively automating CEO communication? This study investigates whether AI can mimic a human CEO and whether employees’ perception of the communication’s source matter. In a field experiment with a firm, we extend the idea of a Turing test (i.e., a computer mimicking a person), to the idea of generative AI mimicking a specific person, namely the CEO. We call this the “Wade test” and assess if employees can distinguish between communication from their CEO and communication generated by an AI trained on the CEO’s prior communications. We find that AI responses are correctly identified 59% of the time, somewhat better than random chance. When employees believe a response is AI generated, regardless of its actual source, they perceive it as less helpful. To assess causal mechanisms, a second study with a general audience, using public statements from CEOs and from an AI intended to mimic those CEOs, finds that AI-labeled responses (irrespective of their actual source) are rated as less helpful. These findings highlight that, when using generative AI in CEO communication, people may inaccurately identify the source of communication and exhibit aversion towards communication they identify as being AI generated. |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11316 |
| By: | Mohamed Bassi |
| Abstract: | Dans un monde de plus en plus digitalisé, la collecte et le traitement de la donnée numérique provenant du web et des objets connectés s’imposent comme une activité de première importance dans les centres de recherche et autres think tanks. Avec le langage Python nous avons développé un outil de veille économique qui permet d’analyser les publications des chercheurs en économie affiliés aux institutions africaines. Cet outil met en jeu des algorithmes de Machine Learning, en particulier des techniques de Traitement du Langage Naturel. Les jeux de données mis en jeu émanent de la plateforme Research Papers in Economics, et ce à travers le web scraping. |
| Date: | 2023–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ocp:pbecon:pb_11_23 |
| By: | Riccardo Di Francesco |
| Abstract: | Uncovering the heterogeneous effects of particular policies or "treatments" is a key concern for researchers and policymakers. A common approach is to report average treatment effects across subgroups based on observable covariates. However, the choice of subgroups is crucial as it poses the risk of $p$-hacking and requires balancing interpretability with granularity. This paper proposes a nonparametric approach to construct heterogeneous subgroups. The approach enables a flexible exploration of the trade-off between interpretability and the discovery of more granular heterogeneity by constructing a sequence of nested groupings, each with an optimality property. By integrating our approach with "honesty" and debiased machine learning, we provide valid inference about the average treatment effect of each group. We validate the proposed methodology through an empirical Monte-Carlo study and apply it to revisit the impact of maternal smoking on birth weight, revealing systematic heterogeneity driven by parental and birth-related characteristics. |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2410.11408 |