Full Law Identification under Missing Data with Categorical Variables

Abstract

Missing data may be disastrous for the identifiability of causal and statistical estimands. In graphical missing data models, colluders are dependence structures that have a special importance for identification considerations. It has been shown that the presence of a colluder makes the full law, i.e., the joint distribution of variables and response indicators, non-parametrically non-identifiable. However, when the variables related to the colluder structure are categorical, it is sometimes possible to regain the identifiability of the full law. We present a necessary and sufficient condition for the identification of the full law in the presence of colluder structures with arbitrary categorical variables. Maximum likelihood estimation of the full law in identifiable models with categorical variables is demonstrated with simulated and real data.