Cited by 485Advanced Causal Inference TechniquesPolitical Science Research and EducationSpatial and Panel Data Analysis

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 42 of the 42 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The Phantom Menace: Omitted Variable Bias in Econometric Research

Clarke, Kevin A.·2005·Conflict Management and Peace Science

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Quantitative political science is awash in control variables. The justification for these bloated specifications is usually the fear of omitted variable bias. A key underlying assumption is that the danger posed by omitted variable bias can be ameliorated by the inclusion of relevant control variables. Unfortunately, as this article demonstrates, there is nothing in the mathematics of regression analysis that supports this conclusion. The inclusion of additional control variables may increase or decrease the bias, and we cannot know for sure which is the case in any particular situation. A brief discussion of alternative strategies for achieving experimental control follows the main result.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1080/07388940500339183

Cites

42 of 42 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Estimating the Dimension of a Model
Schwarz, G. (1978) · The Annals of Statistics · doi:10.1214/aos/1176344136 · Cited by 47,033
The American Economic Review
(2012) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/aer.102.2.i · Cited by 14,047
Macroeconomics and Reality
Sims, C. A. (1980) · Econometrica · doi:10.2307/1912017 · Cited by 12,841
Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research
King, G., Keohane, R. O., & Verba, S. (1994) · Princeton University Press · doi:10.1515/9781400821211 · Cited by 7,225
Likelihood Ratio Tests for Model Selection and Non-Nested Hypotheses
Vuong, Q. H. (1989) · Econometrica · doi:10.2307/1912557 · Cited by 5,929
Minnesota studies in the philosophy of science
Feigl, H., & Scriven, M. S. (1956) · Cited by 4,420
More Comments on C P
Mallows, C. L. (1995) · Technometrics · doi:10.1080/00401706.1995.10484370 · Cited by 2,622
Statistical Methods for Social Scientists
(1977) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/c2009-0-22083-6 · Cited by 1,880
INADMISSIBILITY OF THE USUAL ESTIMATOR FOR THE MEAN OF A MULTIVARIATE NORMAL DISTRIBUTION
Stein, C. M. (1956) · doi:10.1525/9780520313880-018 · Cited by 1,875
Normative and Structural Causes of Democratic Peace, 1946–1986
Maoz, Z., & Russett, B. M. (1993) · American Political Science Review · doi:10.2307/2938740 · Cited by 1,536

Show all 42 references

Research works printed but not linked: 9

Achen, C.H., 2005, Conflict Management and Peace Science, 22
Akaike, H., Second International Symposium of Information Theory
Cox, D.R., 1961, Proceedings of the Fourth Berkeley Symposium, 105
Greene, W.H., 2003, Econometric aanalysis
Johnston, J., 1997, Econometric methods
Kadera, K.M., 2005, Conflict Management and Peace Science, 22
Maddala, G.S., 1977, Econometrics
Mallows, C.L., 1973, Technometrics, 15, 671
Welch, F., 1975, American Economic Review, 65, 63

Sorted by citations

Items 401–485 of 485

The viability of the employer-provided health insurance system
Guo, X. (2008) · Rutgers University Community Repository (Rutgers University) · doi:10.7282/t3rf5vck
“The estimate coefficient of health insurance in the ordinary-leastsquare (OLS) model becomes 1 1 2ˆ HZα α α β= + Equation (4.5) where 2 HZ HZ H σβ σ = ; HZσ is the covariance between H and Z; and 2 Hσ is the variance of H (Greence 2003; Clarke 2005).”
BackgroundInfluential
Dynamic efficiency under uncertainty: An empirical analysis for German dairy farms
Fakultät, D. D. L., & Lucius, R. (2015)
Veto players and dispute settlement
Popal, A. (2012) · ThinkTech (Texas Tech University)
Economic Globalization and the EnvironmentPreprint
Koubi, V., Böhmelt, T., & Bernauer, T. (2023) · doi:10.31219/osf.io/4zxmy
Voting for Money, Whips for Free
Alecu, A. I. (2013) · NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives
Holding versus Dicta
Khun, J., Hall, M. E. K., & Macher, K. (2017) · Political Research Quarterly · doi:10.1177/1065912916688112
“Moreover, “[t]he inclusion of additional control variables may increase or decrease the bias” in statistical models (Clarke 2005).”
Background
A Study Based on the Great Leap Forward Famine
Song, S. (2014)
UNDERPRICING IN COLD AND HOT ISSUE MARKETS: Testing the Changing Risk Composition Hypothesis on the Swedish IPO Market.
Johansson, D., & Österman, D. (2017) · Gothenburg University Publications Electronic Archive (Gothenburg University)
Representation and Policy Making: Women Participating in the U.S. House
Santoro, L. M. (2017) · doi:10.33915/etd.6566
Accounting for Extra-Dyadic Sources of International Outcomes
Bas, M. A., ORSUN, O. F., & Schub, R. J. (2017) · International Interactions · doi:10.1080/03050629.2017.1414810
Interest rate and age effects on consumer behavior - Evaluating the effectiveness of interest rate policy
Lipcsey, R. A., & Sjöström, G. (2016)
The Impact of the use of Other Participating Auditors by the Signing Auditor on the Audit Quality of Group Audits
van der Plas, H. (2018)
Nonresponse issues when analysing business survey data
Grek, Å. (2018) · KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology)
Regionalist Party Electoral Outcomes and the Supply-Side of Party Politics
Fontana, C. (2019) · Scholars' Bank (University of Oregon)
Law Abiding Diplomats: Evidence from Diplomatic Parking Tickets in Washington D.C.Preprint
Alvarez-Franco, P., & Restrepo-Tobón, D. A. (2019) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3348705
“To guard ourselves against the pitfalls of using non critical core variables (Lu and White 2014 and Clarke 2005), we carefully select them based on the following criteria: i) their merits to exert some influence on the law-abiding behavior of diplomats abroad, ii) their economic relation with…”
Method
The Return to Skills: 2000~2012 of Korea
장혜원, & Kim, H. (2014) · Journal of Vocational Education & Training · doi:10.36907/krivet.2014.17.1.67
A Compromised Peace? The Effect of Power-Sharing Arrangements on Post-War ViolencePreprint
Ottmann, M. (2018) · doi:10.31235/osf.io/s48hz
Characteristics of successful commercialisation from university-industry research collaboration in Ontario, Canada
Croteau, M. J. P. (2017) · CentAUR (University of Reading)
Mobilization and Moderation in Brazil
Pinckney, J. C. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190097301.003.0007
The Challenges at Work
Pinckney, J. C. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190097301.003.0003 · Cited by 1
Introduction to Case Study Chapters
Pinckney, J. C. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190097301.003.0004
The Challenges of Civil Resistance Transitions
Pinckney, J. C. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190097301.003.0002
Civil Resistance and Democratization
Pinckney, J. C. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190097301.003.0008
“Power Is Sweet”
Pinckney, J. C. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190097301.003.0006
Sequencing Effects in the Analysis of Complex Experiments in Business Research: Mechanisms, Biases, and Recommendations
Kotzian, P. (2019) · The Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods · doi:10.34190/jbrm.17.3.006
“Second, the omitted variable must be correlated with other explanatory variables in the model (Dougherty, 2011; Clarke 2005).”
Background
Parameters Spring 2021
Press, U. (2021) · The US Army War College Quarterly Parameters · doi:10.55540/0031-1723.3029
Political Survival and the Surrender of Sovereignty
Savage, J. D. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108658461.002
Subnational Politics and Sovereignty in Post-Soviet Georgia
Savage, J. D. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108658461.004
Essays on rising income inequality and quality of life in contemporary China
Lin, Q. (2014) · Middlesex University Research Repository (Middlesex University Of London)
Submission, Resistance, and War
Savage, J. D. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108658461.003
European Informal Empire in China, the Ottoman Empire, and Egypt
Savage, J. D. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108658461.006
Hierarchy, Political Order, and Great Power Politics
Savage, J. D. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108658461.008
Mass Politics and the Surrender of Sovereignty
Savage, J. D. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108658461.005
Bibliography
Savage, J. D. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108658461.011
Appendix A
Savage, J. D. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108658461.009
Appendix B
Savage, J. D. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108658461.010
Cross-National Variation in Sovereignty and Hierarchy
Savage, J. D. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108658461.007
Introduction
Savage, J. D. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108658461.001
On "The Battalion Commander Effect" and Authors' Response
Masi, R. (2022) · The US Army War College Quarterly Parameters · doi:10.55540/0031-1723.3140
Parameters Spring 2022
Press, U. (2022) · The US Army War College Quarterly Parameters · doi:10.55540/0031-1723.3124
Index
Savage, J. D. (2020) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108658461.012
Covariate Selection in Exposure Disparity AnalysisPreprint
Wu, C. (2022) · doi:10.31235/osf.io/4znu5
The Impact of Ignoring the Treatment-Mediator Interaction on Traditional Tests of Indirect Effects
Whittaker, T. A. (2019) · American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting (AERA) · doi:10.3102/1431513
Relevance, Redundancy, and Regularization: Penalized Regression and the Quest for the ℓ₀ Quasi-NormPreprint
Chen, J. M. (2022) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4188299
Seminar attendance, lecture capture, and disability adjustments: intuition and evidence*
(2022) · Advances in Economics Education · doi:10.4337/aee.2022.01.06
Empirical Analysis of the Nexus between Interest Rate Marketization, Interbank Business and Bank Liquidity Risk: a Mediating Model
Wu, G. Q., Zhou, L., & Hu, Q. (2023) · Advances in computer science research · doi:10.2991/978-94-6463-042-8_107
Explaining Variations in Family Policy through a Gender Lens
Daly, M., & Ferragina, E. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197518151.013.33
Supplemental Material for How Do Unobserved Confounding Mediators and Measurement Error Impact Estimated Mediation Effects and Corresponding Statistical Inferences? Introducing the R Package ConMed for Sensitivity Analysis
(2023) · Psychological Methods · doi:10.1037/met0000567.supp
Bibliography
Ferragina, E. (2012) · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · doi:10.4337/9781781000229.00017
A Bayesian Approach to the Sensitivity of Parameters Misspecification in The Seemingly Unrelated Regression Models
Alaba, O. O. (2020) · Advances in Multidisciplinary & Scientific Research Journal Publication · doi:10.22624/aims/v6n1p13
“Clarke (2005) in his application reported that including an additional proxy may increase or decrease the bias of the estimated coefficients.”
Background
Resolving Non-identifiability Mitigates Bias in Models of Neural Tuning and Functional CouplingPreprint
Sachdeva, P., Bak, J. H., Livezey, J. A., Kirst, C., Frank, L. M., Bhattacharyya, S., & Bouchard, K. E. (2023) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2023.07.11.548615
A problemática da discriminação e o racismo
Herdeiro, R. M. C. (2021) · doi:10.47749/t/unicamp.2021.1170119
Import Tariff Pass-Through Effect and the Spatial Distribution of Domestic Consumer Goods Prices: Zimbabwe (2009 to 2019)
Mugocha, E. M., & Tregenna, F. (2023) · The International Trade Journal · doi:10.1080/08853908.2023.2289427
“Omission of the spatial lag in the “traditional” model generates an omitted variable bias on regression outcomes, especially the ITPTE (Clarke 2005; Green 2012; Wooldridge 2002).”
Reference standard analysis of multiple new and old plasma clearance models and renal clearance with special attention to measurement of reduced glomerular filtration rate
Wesolowski, C. A. (2023) · Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation · doi:10.1080/00365513.2023.2275278
“This is done to mitigate what for econometrics is called omitted variable bias for bivariate data, and for statistics is called regression dilution [43,44].”
Background
Parameters Spring 2024
Press, U. (2024) · The US Army War College Quarterly Parameters · doi:10.55540/0031-1723.3267
An Inductive Approach to Quantitative Methodology—Application of Novel Penalising Models in a Case Study of Target Debt Level in Swedish Listed Companies
Grek, Å., Hartwig, F., & Dougherty, M. S. (2024) · Journal of risk and financial management · doi:10.3390/jrfm17050207
Quantitative Methoden in den Internationalen Beziehungen
Ruhe, C., Schneider, G., & Spilker, G. (2024) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-658-33953-1_25
Training, comfort, and perceived effectiveness: Lessons from the pandemic
Russell, L. M., Lach, P. A., & Morgan, R. K. (2024) · Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education · doi:10.1111/dsji.12318
Variable Coding, Additional Statistical Tests, and Interview Data
Pinckney, J. C. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190097301.005.0001
Dedication
Pinckney, J. C. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190097301.002.0004
Copyright Page
Pinckney, J. C. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190097301.002.0003
Notes
Pinckney, J. C. (2020) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190097301.002.0007
Concepts and Dimensions of Democracy
Gireesan, K. (2024) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-99-7735-2_1
Parameters Spring 2025
Press, U. (2025) · The US Army War College Quarterly Parameters · doi:10.55540/0031-1723.3326 · Cited by 1
A Ticking Time Bomb
Mehra, S., Jhunjhunwala, A., Chopra, J. S., Dave, A., & Kukreja, G. (2025) · Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-4332-7.ch001 · Cited by 1
Fe y Politicas: Latino Evangelical Vote Choice in the 2020 Presidential Election
Cuellar, J. R. (2025) · Religions · doi:10.3390/rel16060708
Do Exchange Rates Behave Asymmetrically with Services Trade in India?
Patnaik, S., & Rath, B. N. (2025) · The International Trade Journal · doi:10.1080/08853908.2025.2517066
“This bias leads to inconsistent estimates which cannot be corrected by increasing the sample size (Clarke 2005).”
Enhancing Prediction Accuracy Model Performance. The Role of Directed Partial Correlation as a causal Filter for Time Series
Elsegai, H. (2025) · المجلة العلمية للدراسات والبحوث المالية والتجارية · doi:10.21608/cfdj.2025.399933.2307
Operationalising AIS Bias ManagementPreprint
Albalkhi, R., Leppälä, J., & Padget, J. A. (2025) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.5383231
Methodology and Data
Tausch, A. (2025) · SpringerBriefs in political science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-97551-6_3
Addressing the omitted variables problem in a three-equation linear system
Xiong, Z., Ma, T., & Liu, S. (2025) · Journal of Statistical Computation and Simulation · doi:10.1080/00949655.2025.2553750
“However, the arbitrary inclusion of controls may either exacerbate or alleviate bias, making its impact uncertain [5,6].”
Pathways To Civil War
Suzuki, S. (2013) · Human Biology
Assessing Predictor Robustness in Healthcare Consumer Research: A Bayesian Model Averaging Approach
Nandialath, A. M., & Damali, U. (2025) · International Journal of Consumer Studies · doi:10.1111/ijcs.70119
Response Styles and Omitted Variable Bias. Detection and Mitigation
Żółtak, T., Pokropek, A., & Muszyński, M. A. (2025) · Structural Equation Modeling A Multidisciplinary Journal · doi:10.1080/10705511.2025.2555203
“The issue of response styles (RS) in statistical inference can be seen as omitted variable bias (Clarke, 2005; Steiner & Kim, 2016; Van der Weele, 2022) when RS correlates with both dependent and independent variables but is not explicitly modeled.”
Counterfactual Analysis: Theory and Practice
Derbez, L. P. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-11862-2_4
Assessing judicial responses of judges to stalking in South Korea: A focal concerns perspective
Noh, H., Lee, S., & Burrow, J. D. (2026) · Journal of Criminal Justice · doi:10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2025.102593
Can Teacher Preparation Impact Multilingual Learner Achievement?: A Study of Multilingual Student Learning Gains in Pre‐Service Teachers' Internship Classes
Ghimire, N., & Nutta, J. (2026) · TESOL Journal · doi:10.1002/tesj.70120
Artificial Intelligence in Education Writing Assistance, Tutoring, Creativity, and Ethical Concerns
Duinong, M., Dohny, Q., Shamsuddin, M. R. B., Tamin, O., Rajak, M. A. A., & Moses, L. B. (2026) · Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series · doi:10.4018/406022
Exploration et modélisation de données peu ou pas structurées
Grollemund, V. (2021) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/03f0bf21z8b4az4f15z9a7bz36e850e62608
Statistical Methods for Assessing Pay Equity
Toutkoushian, R. K. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-24962-3_6
Import Tariff Pass-through Effect and the Spatial Distribution of Domestic Consumer Goods Prices: Zimbabwe (2009-2014)
Mugocha, E. M., & Bhorat, H. I. (n.d.) · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics
Parameters Spring 2026
Press, U. (2026) · The US Army War College Quarterly Parameters · doi:10.55540/0031-1723.3375
Co-pollutant mortality effects of short-term exposure to fine particles and ozone: A global systematic review and meta-analysis with omitted variable bias correction
Liu, H., Zhou, P., Deng, J., Kang, N., & Xue, T. (2026) · Environmental Impact Assessment Review · doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2026.108787
Democratic Forms of Government, Electoral Rules, and the Impact of Environmental Interest GroupsPreprint
Böhmelt, T., Bernauer, T., & Koubi, V. (2013) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.2276936
Extrapolation bias as a manifestation of the representativeness heuristic: evidence from the content analysis of stock message board postings
Rapp, A. (2015) · NOVA (University of Newcastle Australia)

Authors: Clarke, K. A.
Affiliations: University of Rochester (US)
Corresponding author: Clarke, Kevin A.
ORCID: Clarke, Kevin A.
Venue: Conflict Management and Peace Science
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2005-09
Volume: 22
Issue: 4
Pages: 341-352
ISSN: 0738-8942 (ISSN-L)
1549-9219
DOI: 10.1080/07388940500339183
OpenAlex: W2146807455
Cited by: 484
References: 42
Citations by year: 2026: 8 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 58 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 32 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 32
FWCI: 11.74
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations: Conflict Management and Peace Science (publishedVersion)
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Topics: Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Advanced Causal Inference Techniques
Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Political Science Research and Education
Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Spatial and Panel Data Analysis
Keywords: omitted variable bias, control variables, regression analysis, specification bias, experimental control, econometric methodology, political science research

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

The Phantom Menace: Omitted Variable Bias in Econometric Research

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Related

Metadata

Record

About these checks