Estimation with mode_compute only and model comparison

[jpfeifer]

See

The log marginal data density in mode_computer=6

Both the Laplace approximation and the modified harmonic mean estimator are ways to compute the marginal data density. As computing the marginal data density involves solving a complicated integral, these two methods for tackling the issue have been proposed. In theory, they should yield identical results as they measure the same thing. In practice, both involve approximations and may yield differing results. It is hard to tell which one to prefer. Footnote 11 of Smets/Wouters (2007) states: