Material Facts Obscured in Hansen's Modern Gauss-Markov Theorem

05/02/2022

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by   Hrishikesh D Vinod, et al.

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We show that the abstract and conclusion of Hansen's Econometrica paper, <cit.>, entitled a modern Gauss-Markov theorem (MGMT), obscures a material fact, which in turn can confuse students. The MGMT places ordinary least squares (OLS) back on a high pedestal by bringing in the Cramer-Rao efficiency bound. We explain why linearity and unbiasedness are linked, making most nonlinear estimators biased. Hence, MGMT extends the reach of the century-old GMT by a near-empty set. It misleads students because it misdirects attention back to the unbiased OLS from beneficial shrinkage and other tools, which reduce the mean squared error (MSE) by injecting bias.