My job market's done, and I'm heading back to the NYC area! Excited to join @PrincetonEcon as a postdoc next year and @NYUSternEcon as an AP in 2026.
In a happy twist of fate, this means @conlon_chris and I will be colleagues exactly 10 years after our first PyBLP commit:
Jeff Gortmaker
161 posts
Joined October 2010
- Hey #econtwitter, I'm excited to share a new WP with @conlon_chris about micro data (e.g. consumer surveys) in BLP estimation. Alongside it, we finally released PyBLP version 1.0! Paper: jeffgortmaker.com/files/micro.pdf Code: github.com/jeffgortmaker/โฆ Docs: pyblp.readthedocs.io/en/stable/ 1/16
- Hey #econtwitter, @conlon_chris and I just released version 0.13.0 of PyBLP, our Python package for BLP-style differentiated products demand estimation. Code: github.com/jeffgortmaker/โฆ Docs: pyblp.readthedocs.io/en/stable/ Paper: jeffgortmaker.com/files/pyblp.pdf What's new? 1/9
- Hey #EconTwitter, I'm on the job market with a paper about open source software. OSS is a global public good, widely used and provided by the private sector, but the target of recent industrial policy. Paper: jeffgortmaker.com/files/Open_Souโฆ 1/
- Happy to share that this paper was just accepted @JEconometrics! It's my and @conlon_chris's 2nd paper tied to our PyBLP software, so here's a thread on surprising (to me) benefits of combining methods research with open source work. 1/6Hey #econtwitter, I'm excited to share a new WP with @conlon_chris about micro data (e.g. consumer surveys) in BLP estimation. Alongside it, we finally released PyBLP version 1.0! Paper: jeffgortmaker.com/files/micro.pdf Code: github.com/jeffgortmaker/โฆ Docs: pyblp.readthedocs.io/en/stable/ 1/16
- If you want to try out this approach in your own BLP estimation, PyBLP has pretty good support! Thanks to @_amackay for helping with getting it added. Adding covariance restrictions was fairly straightforward, with one sort of obscure technical challenge. 1/6Forthcoming in AEJ: Microeconomics: "Estimating Models of Supply and Demand: Instruments and Covariance Restrictions" by Alexander MacKay and Nathan H. Miller. aeaweb.org/articles?id=10โฆ
- Updated version of our "micro BLP" paper! My earlier thread (x.com/jeff_gortmakerโฆ) summarizes some of the key points.A framework for incorporating many types of micro data, from summary statistics to full surveys of selected consumers, into Berry, Levinsohn, and Pakes (1995)-style estimates of differentiated products demand systems, from @conlon_chris and @jeff_gortmaker nber.org/papers/w31605
- Replying to @MoharirAdvait and @paulgpNot sure I want to guess how many hours I've spent trying to distill BLP, but this week's attempt is a 3x3 hour workshop!
- Excited about this new package! To give a sense of the growing Python IO ecosystem, pyRVtest depends on PyBLP, which in turn depends on PyHDFE (github.com/jeffgortmaker/โฆ), a package for high dimensional fixed effect absorption, also created by @anya_tarascina and me. 1/3*Package Launch* One of my favorite trends in empirical IO is the increasing availability of portable code to estimate structural models โ see PyBLP @conlon_chris @jeff_gortmaker, several packages by @jamesbrandecon. This is key to make IO tools accessible (also outside IO) [1/5]
- Replying to @jeff_gortmakerFor even more, come see me, Paul Grieco, @conlon_chris, and @ChrisAdamsEcon talk about demand estimation at @IIOC_IO this Sunday! Paul's paper with @charliemurry @PinkseJoris @StephanSagl (personal.psu.edu/plg15/files/prโฆ) is a must-read for those interested in micro BLP. 15/16
- Replying to @jeff_gortmakerAnyways, this experience helped reinforce my understanding that open-sourcing an estimator can have real collaborative benefits. PyBLP would be riddled with issues and inefficient code if it wasn't for all the users who've contributed their time to help improve it - thanks! 6/6
- Replying to @jeff_gortmaker18/18 This has been a joy to write and present (not only because I get to use PyBLP screenshots to illustrate US-China collaboration). I'm excited to keep studying the tech sector from an IO perspective, and building econometric tools on the way. Links:
- Replying to @jeff_gortmaker7/6 Also: I'm on the job market! If you're interested in the economics of (industrial policy for) open source or want to see a (very simple) example of micro BLP in action, check out my job market paper:Hey #EconTwitter, I'm on the job market with a paper about open source software. OSS is a global public good, widely used and provided by the private sector, but the target of recent industrial policy. Paper: jeffgortmaker.com/files/Open_Souโฆ 1/
- Replying to @jeff_gortmakerFor those looking to use micro moments with PyBLP, a good place to start is our tutorial estimating Petrin's (2002) model in < 100 lines of code. Let us know what you think! Tutorial: pyblp.readthedocs.io/en/stable/_notโฆ Issue tracker: github.com/jeffgortmaker/โฆ 16/16











