Applied Micro Lunch Seminar, Dan Zeltzer, Tel Aviv University

Speaker

Dan Zeltzer, Tel Aviv University

Title

"Negative Control Falsification Tests for Instrumental Variable Designs"

Abstract

We formalize the foundations for widely used falsification tests in instrumental variable (IV) designs. We characterize these tests as conditional independence tests involving negative control variables, which serve as proxies for unobservable threats to identification. Our analysis reveals that conventional applications of these tests often rely on unnecessary functional form assumptions and may flag problems even in valid IV designs. We offer practical implementation guidance to address these issues.   

Biography

Dan Zeltzer is an Associate Professor at Tel Aviv University and a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University (through 2025). He is affiliated with IZA, CESifo, and J-PAL North America. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University in 2016. His research examines how technology transforms healthcare. He studies the impacts of digital health innovations, including telemedicine, medical devices, AI-assisted decision-making, the expansion of urgent care centers, and technology diffusion through physician networks.