Optimal adaptive experiment for choosing best treatment with binary outcomes.
problem Choosing the best treatment from binary options in an adaptive experiment.
method Adaptive experiment with two phases: treatment allocation and choice. Neyman allocation method used.
result Neyman allocation is minimax and Bayes optimal, matching lower bounds for regret.
Method controls treatment risk in learning beneficial allocations.
problem Learning beneficial treatment allocations with risk control in precision medicine.
method Proposes a certifiable learning method that controls treatment risk with finite samples in the partially identified setting.
result Illustrates method using both simulated and real data.
Optimizes treatment allocation in networks considering indirect effects.
problem Finding optimal treatment allocation in network settings with interference.
method OTAPI: Optimizing Treatment Allocation in the Presence of Interference, integrating causal estimators into IM algorithms.
result OTAPI outperforms classic IM and UM approaches on synthetic and semi-synthetic datasets.
Heteroskedasticity biases uplift model rankings, leading to inefficient treatment allocation.
problem Bias in uplift model rankings due to heteroskedasticity.
method Theoretical analysis and simulation on real-world data.
result Heteroskedasticity can cause individuals with high treatment effects to be ranked at the bottom, leading to inefficient treatment allocation.
Designs for allocating resources to prioritize needy applicants while estimating treatment effects.
problem Resource allocation under uncertainty with prioritized queues.
method Priority-queue randomization for treatment assignment and estimation of treatment effects.
result Identification of causal effects under different arrival and treatment assignment scenarios.
The paper proposes a new policy for optimal treatment allocation based on quantile treatment effects.
problem Optimal treatment allocation policies that target distributional welfare, especially when individuals are heterogeneous.
method The approach involves allocating treatments based on the conditional quantile of individual treatment effects (QoTE), considering both prudent and negligent policymakers.
result The proposed minimax policies are robust to model uncertainty and can be generalized to various settings.
Proposes a new method to optimize treatment allocation with budget constraints.
problem Optimizing treatment allocation with budget constraints in marketing.
method Learning to rank for profit maximization.
result Learning to rank can maximize the area under a policy's incremental profit curve.
In treatment allocation problems the individuals to be treated often arrive sequentially. We study a problem in which the policy maker is not only interested in the expected cumulative welfare but is also concerned about the uncertainty/risk of the treatment outcomes. At the outset, the total number of treatment assign…
Unified framework for response-adaptive targeting in multi-treatment experiments
problem Improving ethical and statistical efficiency in multi-treatment clinical trials
method Response-adaptive targeting strategies
result Unified framework for α-Rebalancing Targeting Strategies (αRTS) The paper develops a causal machine learning framework to optimize aid allocation.
problem Optimizing aid allocation to reduce new HIV infections in poor countries.
method The framework uses a balancing autoencoder, counterfactual generator, and inference model to predict heterogeneous treatment effects.
result The framework predicts a reduction of up to 3.3% in new HIV infections, saving 50,000 lives.
Framework optimizes targeting high-need individuals while estimating treatment effects.
problem Balancing resource allocation to high-need individuals with evaluating treatment effects.
method Proposes a framework to design randomized allocation rules that balance targeting high-need recipients with learning treatment effects.
result Optimized policies can significantly mitigate the tradeoff between targeting high-need individuals and estimating treatment effects.
We consider the problem of how to assign treatment in a randomized experiment, in which the correlation among the outcomes is informed by a network available pre-intervention. Working within the potential outcome causal framework, we develop a class of models that posit such a correlation structure among the outcomes. …
Paper proposes ClipSMT algorithm for better ATE estimation.
problem Adaptive estimation of Average Treatment Effect (ATE).
method ClipSMT algorithm for improved Neyman regret.
result Achieves exponential improvements in Neyman regret.
Simulations of infectious disease spread have long been used to understand how epidemics evolve and how to effectively treat them. However, comparatively little attention has been paid to understanding the fairness implications of different treatment strategies -- that is, how might such strategies distribute the expec…
Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) are the gold standard for comparing the effectiveness of a new treatment to the current one (the control). Most RCTs allocate the patients to the treatment group and the control group by uniform randomization. We show that this procedure can be highly sub-optimal (in terms of learnin…
Optimal algorithm for identifying best-arm with minimal regret.
problem Identifying the best arm in two treatments with limited budget.
method Neyman allocation based on outcome standard deviations.
result Neyman allocation is minimax optimal for simple regret.
The paper tackles fair policy targeting by optimizing allocation rules to minimize unfairness.
problem Discrimination in individualized treatments of social welfare programs.
method Formulated as a mixed-integer linear program, solved using off-the-shelf algorithms, derived regret bounds and small sample guarantees.
result Designs fair and efficient treatment allocation rules within the Pareto frontier.
Algorithm learns interference network and optimizes treatment allocation for unknown network effects.
problem Adaptive experimentation under unknown network interference.
method Thompson sampling algorithm with Gibbs sampler for joint learning of interference network and treatment allocation.
result Proves a Bayesian regret bound and achieves sublinear regret in real-world applications.
We consider a multi-armed bandit problem with covariates. Given a realization of the covariate vector, instead of targeting the treatment with highest conditional expectation, the decision maker targets the treatment which maximizes a general functional of the conditional potential outcome distribution, e.g., a conditi…
This paper tackles post-trade allocation inefficiencies and presents a uniform return allocation method.
problem Return divergence among accounts after trade allocation.
method Systematic treatment of trade allocation risk, presenting a uniform return allocation method.
result Uniform allocation of returns irrespective of the number of accounts and trade sizes.
New method improves treatment effect estimation in adaptive experiments with noncompliance.
problem Estimating average treatment effect in adaptive experiments with binary instrumental variable.
method AMRIV estimator that balances outcome noise and compliance variability.
result AMRIV achieves semiparametric efficiency bound and is robust to noncompliance.
CARD detects treatment responders with machine learning and adjustment.
problem Identifying responders in non-random treatment settings.
method Conformal prediction, machine learning, propensity score adjustment.
result High power responder detection in various scenarios.
We propose and investigate a class of new algorithms for sequential decision making that interacts with \textit{a batch of users} simultaneously instead of \textit{a user} at each decision epoch. This type of batch models is motivated by interactive marketing and clinical trial, where a group of people are treated simu…
The paper shows how to audit fairness in decisions with hidden risk factors.
problem Estimating fairness in decisions influenced by hidden, unobservable risk factors.
method Derives unbiased estimates of risk using historical data and audits existing decision-making systems.
result One can compute meaningful bounds on treatment rates for high-risk individuals, even with hidden confounders.
New study shows non-adaptive trials can be outperformed by adaptive designs in treatment selection.
problem Determining the best allocation of resources in clinical trials.
method Analysis of batched arm elimination designs and comparison with completely randomized trials.
result Simple adaptive designs universally and strictly dominate non-adaptive completely randomized trials for at least three treatment arms.
The paper evaluates index-based allocation policies using data from randomized control trials.
problem Evaluating index-based allocation policies in resource-scarce scenarios.
method Using data from randomized control trials, the paper introduces an efficient estimator and methods for computing asymptotically correct confidence intervals.
result Valid statistical conclusions can be drawn for index-based allocation policies.
Bridges uplift modeling and sequential decision-making with online budget allocation.
problem Treatment allocation under budget constraints in digital advertising.
method Budget-Constrained Causal Bandits (BCCB) integrates learning, exploration, and budget pacing.
result Data-efficiency crossover: BCCB operates effectively from the first user, 3-5x lower performance variance.
Proposes a generalized causal tree for handling multiple treatments in uplift modeling.
problem Handling multiple treatments in uplift modeling.
method Generalizes causal tree algorithm to handle multiple discrete and continuous-valued treatments.
result Demonstrates improved performance over existing methods in experiments and real data examples.
Study optimal treatment assignment policies under strategic agent responses.
problem Learning optimal treatment policies with strategic agents complicates estimation.
method Dynamic model with threshold convergence to mean-field equilibrium, consistent estimator for policy gradient.
result Threshold for treatment assignment converges to mean-field equilibrium threshold under large but finite number of agents.
Study optimal and equitable encouragement policies for treatment adherence.
problem Optimal treatment adherence policies in the presence of human non-adherence.
method Covariate-conditional no-direct-effect model of encouragement; tractable policy characterizations under constraints.
result Induced treatment take-up is the fairness target, not recommendation rates.
Improves content allocation in educational platforms with sparse data.
problem Imbalanced content allocation and delayed convergence in adaptive strategies.
method Introduces WAPTS, an algorithm that refines Thompson Sampling for data-sparse environments.
result Demonstrates earlier and more reliable identification of promising treatments.
Proposes a novel method to cluster individuals based on treatment effects.
problem Identifying subpopulations with different treatment responses.
method Clusters individuals using a learned kernel derived from causal forests, revealing latent subgroup structures.
result Captures meaningful treatment effect heterogeneity through kernelized clustering.
This research improves forecasting and testing of risk contributions using Expected Shortfall.
problem Improving risk allocation and testing methods for regulatory standards.
method Developed a comprehensive framework for backtesting and forecasting Expected Shortfall contributions.
result Proposed a novel semiparametric model for forecasting dynamic Expected Shortfall contributions.
Syntax designs adaptive trials for subpopulations with potential benefits.
problem Identifying subpopulations with positive treatment effects in diverse patient populations.
method Adaptive patient recruitment and synthetic control estimation.
result Syntax outperforms conventional trial designs in identifying beneficial subpopulations.
We consider the problem of allocating samples to a finite set of discrete distributions in order to learn them uniformly well in terms of four common distance measures: ℓ22, ℓ1, f-divergence, and separation distance. To present a unified treatment of these distances, we first propose a general optimistic…
Paper introduces EnCounteR for estimating causal effects using encouragement data.
problem Challenges in estimating causal effects due to incomplete randomization and limited encouragement data.
method Introduces a generalized IV estimator, EnCounteR, leveraging both observational and encouragement data.
result Demonstrates superior performance of EnCounteR over existing methods.
Dynamic treatment strategies on networks amplify policy impact through spillovers.
problem Effective dynamic treatment allocation in network settings.
method Q-Ising, a three-stage pipeline integrating Bayesian dynamic Ising model, treatment adoption histories, and offline reinforcement learning.
result Adaptive targeting outperforms static centrality benchmarks in Indian village microfinance networks and synthetic data.
AACE learns treatment policies from EHRs using annotations to improve accuracy.
problem Learning treatment policies from multimodal EHRs with bias and inefficiency.
method Annotation-assisted coarsened effects (AACE) method.
result AACE outperforms existing methods in predicting treatment benefit from multimodal EHRs.
BICauseTree improves causal effect estimation by identifying clusters and balancing treatment allocation.
problem Improving interpretability and transparency in causal effect models from observational data.
method Hierarchical bias-driven stratification using decision trees with a customized objective function.
result BICauseTree provides interpretable causal effect estimation and is comparable to existing methods.
Develops adaptive framework for estimating survival effects with censoring.
problem Estimating causal effects in survival data with censoring.
method Derives semiparametric efficiency bound, proposes efficiency-optimal allocation policy, and develops Adaptive Survival Estimator (ASE).
result ASE achieves asymptotic normality via martingale central limit theorem and demonstrates efficiency gains over uniform randomization.
GNA optimally identifies the best arm with small gaps.
problem Best arm identification in fixed-budget settings.
method Generalized Neyman Allocation (GNA) for asymptotically locally minimax optimal BAI.
result GNA's worst-case bounds match the lower and upper bounds in the small-gap regime.
Our paper improves uplift model evaluation on randomized controlled trials (RCT) data.
problem Variance in uplift evaluation metrics makes their signals arbitrary and unreliable.
method Theoretical analysis and statistical adjustment of the outcome to reduce variance.
result Variance reduction methods improve uplift evaluation metrics on RCT data.
A framework uses proxies to prioritize treatment without estimating causal effects.
problem Prioritizing treatment when causal effects are hard to estimate.
method Decision-focused framework identifying conditions for proxy usefulness.
result Proxies can recover correct effect ordering under specific conditions.
The paper introduces SuccessProbaMax to optimize policy success probability in online advertising.
problem Optimizing policy success probability in online advertising systems.
method SuccessProbaMax algorithm that optimizes for the probability of success rather than expected value.
result SuccessProbaMax outperforms conventional algorithms in terms of success rate.
Transformer RL optimizes A/B testing for time series experiments.
problem Challenges in applying A/B testing to time series experiments, especially with limited history and strong assumptions.
method Transformer reinforcement learning approach that conditions allocation on full history and optimizes MSE without restrictive assumptions.
result Consistently outperforms existing designs in synthetic, simulator, and real-world data.
Blend-ASC improves self-consistency efficiency by dynamically allocating samples, reducing costs.
problem Efficiently applying self-consistency to large datasets is computationally expensive.
method Blend-ASC dynamically allocates samples during inference, improving efficiency.
result Blend-ASC reduces sample usage by 6.8x on average compared to vanilla self-consistency.
Flexible estimation of heterogeneous treatment effects lies at the heart of many statistical challenges, such as personalized medicine and optimal resource allocation. In this paper, we develop a general class of two-step algorithms for heterogeneous treatment effect estimation in observational studies. We first estima…
New design detects confounders from treatment intent in ICU data.
problem Unobserved confounding in observational ICU data.
method Querying human experts to identify unobserved confounders.
result Demonstrates feasibility of detecting confounders from EHRs.