Summary
This paper studies inference on finite-population average and local average treatment effects under limited overlap, meaning that some strata have a small proportion of treated or untreated units. We model limited overlap in an asymptotic framework, sending the propensity score to zero (or one) with the sample size. We derive the asymptotic distribution of analogue estimators of the treatment effects under two common randomization schemes: conditionally independent and stratified block randomization. Under either scheme, the limit distribution is the same and conventional standard error formulas remain asymptotically valid, but the rate of convergence is slower the faster the propensity score degenerates. The practical import of these results is two-fold. When overlap is limited, standard methods can perform poorly in smaller samples, as asymptotic approximations are inadequate owing to the slower rate of convergence. However, in larger samples, standard methods can work quite well even when the propensity score is small.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.