koondOLS

KoondOLS is a statistical estimation approach that extends the ordinary least squares framework by incorporating kernel-based local weighting to produce estimates that vary with the covariate space. It is used to model potential nonstationarity or local structure in cross-sectional and panel data.

Methodology: For a regression y = z'β + ε, KoondOLS estimates a local coefficient vector β̂(x0) by solving min_β ∑_{i=1}^n w_i(x0) (y_i - z_i'β)^2, where z_i includes an intercept and the regressors, and w_i(x0) = K((x_i - x0)/h). The kernel K is a symmetric, nonnegative function (e.g., Gaussian or Epanechnikov), and h is a bandwidth controlling locality. This yields a family of local estimates across x0 in the covariate space; predictions at x0 are z(x0)'β̂(x0).

Inference: standard errors can be computed using robust, heteroskedasticity-consistent formulas adapted to local estimation; bootstrap methods are common. Asymptotic properties require standard regularity conditions and appropriate bandwidth selection.

Applications and interpretation: KoondOLS is useful when relationships between variables may differ across regions of the covariate space, such as heterogeneous treatment effects, spatial data, or time-varying effects in cross-sections.

Limitations: the method is sensitive to bandwidth choice; higher dimensions suffer from the curse of dimensionality; interpretation is local rather than global; computational cost increases with sample size and dimension.

Relation to other methods: KoondOLS is related to local polynomial regression and kernelized linear models, combining concepts from nonparametric regression with linear estimation to allow locally varying effects.