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Is there a Stata module or code available for the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm? I cannot seem to find any, but I thought it was worth checking in.

My interest is in EM for record linkage. See, for example:

Alex Riley
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paso
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1 Answers1

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Usual name: expectation-maximization.

There is not a general command or set of commands providing a framework for applications of EM. Rather, the EM algorithm is used within the code for various commands.

Nick Cox
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  • Thank you for your clarification! As I just added to my initial question, my interest in EM is for linking records across datasets (say by first name, last name, and birth year). I routinely come across EM being recommended to do this, but am unsure of the implementation. – paso Feb 24 '13 at 01:04
  • If the names and birth year match exactly, this is just a `merge` problem. If they can be slightly different, you do need something else. You have exact search terms for looking within Stata, the Statalist archive, and on the internet generally. BTW, questions on whether there is code for something are by many standards outside the scope of Stack Overflow, so your question is likely to be ignored or deleted on those grounds. – Nick Cox Feb 24 '13 at 11:04
  • Oh, ok, thank you for letting me know. I have searched and have not found anything in Stata . . . but I thought it might be worth checking in case I was not doing it correctly . . . – paso Feb 24 '13 at 15:04