Recent empirical work in several economic fields, particularly environmental and energy economics, has adapted the regression discontinuity (RD) framework to applications where time is the running variable and treatment begins at a particular threshold in time.In this guide for practitioners, we discuss several features of this "Regression Discontinuity in Time" (RDiT) framework that differ from the more standard cross-sectional RD framework.First, many applications (particularly in environmental economics) lack cross-sectional variation and are estimated using observations far from the temporal threshold.This common empirical practice is hard to square with the assumptions of a cross-sectional RD, which is conceptualized for an estimation bandwidth shrinking even as the sample size increases.Second, estimates may be biased if the time-series properties of the data are ignored (for instance in the presence of an autoregressive process), or more generally if short-run and long-run effects differ.Finally, tests for sorting or bunching near the threshold are often irrelevant, making the framework closer to an event study than a regression discontinuity design.Based on these features and motivated by hypothetical examples using air quality data, we offer suggestions for the empirical researcher wishing to use the RD in time framework.

Catherine Hausman

David Rapson

Annual Review of Resource Economics

资源经济学年度评论提供权威的批判性评论，评估资源经济学最重要的研究进展，重点关注农业经济学、环境经济学、可再生资源和可枯竭资源。

The Annual Review of Resource Economics provides authoritative critical reviews that assess the most significant research advances in resource economics, focusing on agricultural economics, environmental economics, renewable resources, and non-renewable resources.

《Annual Review of Resource Economics》提供权威的批判性评论，评估资源经济学领域最重要的研究进展，重点关注农业经济学、环境经济学、可再生资源和不可再生资源。

Regression Discontinuity in Time: Considerations for Empirical Applications

This guide for practitioners offers suggestions for the empirical researcher wishing to use the regression discontinuity in time framework that differ from the more standard cross-sectional RD framework.

Category	Quartile
经济学	2
经济学, 农业经济与政策	2
经济学, 经济学	3
经济学, 环境研究	3

Regression Discontinuity in Time: Considerations for Empirical Applications

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES	1