What's So Special About Semiparametric Methods?

Abstract

The number of scientific publications on semiparametric methods per year has been steadily increasing since the early 1980s. This increased interest has happened in spite of the fact that the novelty of semiparametrics for its own sake has run its course, and semiparametric methods are by now considered classical. The underlying reasons for this continued interest include the genuine scientific utility of semiparametric models combined with the breadth and depth of the many theoretical questions that remain to be answered. Empirical process techniques are an essential research tool for many of these questions. Moreover, both semiparametric methods and empirical processes are playing an increasingly valuable role in high dimensional data analysis and in other emerging areas in statistics. The topics are very fruitful and intriguing for new researchers to engage in. Graduate programs in statistics, biostatistics and econometrics can and should include more empirical processes and semiparametrics in their teaching in order to ensure a sufficient supply of suitably qualified researchers.