py-why / py-why/EconML

Treatment featurizer in CausalForestDML

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Description

I’m trying to build a model for the heterogenous treatment effect using the CausalForestDML class where the nuisance functions are fitted by a CatBoost regressor. Although this works fine for a linear continuous treatment, I get an error from CatBoost when trying polynomial features for the treatment using the treatment_featurizer argument.

The CatBoost nuisance model for the treatment is receiving a multi-column target, which doesn’t seem to support. Is this the intended behavior? Can a model be fitted to each polynomial degree of the feature or do I need a multi-output regressor?

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Research direction

Start by reproducing the CatBoost error when CausalForestDML uses treatment_featurizer with polynomial features. Inspect how the treatment nuisance model receives the featurized treatment and determine whether the supported behavior is per-feature fitting or a multi-output regressor. Done means the intended behavior is documented or the unsupported combination is corrected and covered by a regression test.

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Assessment

Tech stack
machine-learning, python
Domain
machine-learning
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
42/100

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