Model Averaging in Economics: An Overview

Standard practice in empirical research is based on two steps: first, researchers select a model from the space of all possible models; second, they proceed as if the selected model had generated the data. Therefore, uncertainty in the model selection step is typically ignored. Alternatively, model averaging accounts for this model uncertainty. In this paper, I review the literature on model averaging with special emphasis on its applications to economics. Finally, as an empirical illustration, I consider model averaging to examine the deterrent effect of capital punishment across states in the USA.