One-step sparse estimates in nonconcave penalized likelihood models

Fan and Li propose a family of variable selection methods via penalized likelihood using concave penalty functions. The nonconcave penalized likelihood estimators enjoy the oracle properties, but maximizing the penalized likelihood function is computationally challenging, because the objective function is nondifferentiable and nonconcave. In this article, we propose a new unified algorithm based on the local linear approximation (LLA) for maximizing the penalized likelihood for a broad class of concave penalty functions. Convergence and other theoretical properties of the LLA algorithm are established. A distinguished feature of the LLA algorithm is that at each LLA step, the LLA estimator can naturally adopt…