Search results for "Discrete choice"
showing 10 items of 33 documents
THE ROLE OF SUNK COSTS IN THE DECISION TO INVEST IN R&D
2009
We present a dynamic empirical model of a firm's R&D decisions that is consistent with the existence of sunk R&D costs, taking into account that these costs may differ between small and large firms, and among different technological regimes. We estimate a multivariate dynamic discrete choice model using firm-level data of Spanish manufacturing for 1990–2000. Conditional on firm heterogeneity and serially correlated unobservable factors, we find that R&D history matters. This true state dependence allows inferring the existence of sunk R&D costs associated with performing R&D. Sunk R&D costs are found to be higher for large, high-tech firms.
Enhanced multinomial logit model for the analysis of choice experiments
2012
A sector of conjoint analysis (experimental design in marketing research) is made of the so called choice experiments. In choice experiments respondents undergo a questionnaire which is nowadays mostly submitted through the internet. The questionnaire proposes to the respondent a sequence of choice sets each one including two or more profiles, being a profile a specific combination of attribute levels. The respondent selects the preferred profile for each choice set. Responses given by a sample of respondents are analysed through suitable methods aimed to eventually find the best combination of attribute levels. One method of analysis adopts the Multinomial Logit (MLN) model. In this articl…
AN ORDERED PROBIT MODEL FOR THE ANALYSIS OF OVERALL CUSTOMER SATISFACTION (OCS) REGARDING ORGANIC-FOOD COMSUMPTION
2004
Organic-food consumers and some related issues were investigated in the city of Palermo. Consumers were asked to express their global satisfaction regarding consumption of organic food, as well as some other personal information. A survey was conducted from the four main retail outlets specialized in organic-food by interviewing nearly 200 customers. The data were used to analyse the overall satisfaction of the local organic-food consumer. Furthermore, a “discrete choice” model was run by using the overall customer satisfaction (OCS) derived from the consumption of organic food as a dependent variable. A set of other variables were used as regressors. Model outputs identified the key determ…
In-work benefits for married couples: an ex-ante evaluation of EITC and WTC policies in Italy
2014
This paper investigates labor supply and redistributive effects of in-work benefits for Italian married couples using a tax-benefit microsimulation model and a multi-sectoral discrete choice model of labor supply. We consider two in-work benefit schemes following the key principles of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Working Tax Credit (WTC) existing in the US and the UK, respectively. The standard design of these in-work benefits is however augmented with a new benefit premium for two-earner households in order to overcome the well-known disincentive effects that these welfare instruments may generate on secondary earners. In simulation, the proposed in-work benefits are finance…
Heterogeneity in general practitioners’ preferences for quality improvement programs: a choice experiment and policy simulation in France
2016
International audience; Despite increasing popularity, quality improvement programs (QIP) have had modest and variable impacts on enhancing the quality of physician practice. We investigate the heterogeneity of physicians’ preferences as a potential explanation of these mixed results in France, where the national voluntary QIP – the CAPI – has been cancelled due to its unpopularity. We rely on a discrete choice experiment to elicit heterogeneity in physicians’ preferences for the financial and non-financial components of QIP. Using mixed and latent class logit models, results show that the two models should be used in concert to shed light on different aspects of the heterogeneity in prefer…
WHY DO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS PRIVATIZE THE PROVISION OF WATER SERVICES? EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM SPAIN
2010
Why do some local governments privatize water services, while others opt for public management? Economic literature has been unable to demonstrate that private management is more efficient than public management, so there must be other reasons that lead governments to privatize the service. But what are they? This paper presents the results of a study that analyses the factors behind the privatization of water services with data from 741 municipalities located in the South of Spain over a period dating from 1985 to 2006. A discrete choice model analyses the influence of each factor on the likelihood of privatization. One of the novelties of this paper is that we take the value of the explan…
Business-to-business service quality assessment in professional wine events: the case of Vinitaly
2014
Patients' and physicians' preferences for type 2 diabetes mellitus treatments in Spain and Portugal: a discrete choice experiment.
2015
Objective To assess Spanish and Portuguese patients’ and physicians’ preferences regarding type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treatments and the monthly willingness to pay (WTP) to gain benefits or avoid side effects. Methods An observational, multicenter, exploratory study focused on routine clinical practice in Spain and Portugal. Physicians were recruited from multiple hospitals and outpatient clinics, while patients were recruited from eleven centers operating in the public health care system in different autonomous communities in Spain and Portugal. Preferences were measured via a discrete choice experiment by rating multiple T2DM medication attributes. Data were analyzed using the condit…
Spatial Memory Drives Foraging Strategies of Wolves, but in Highly Individual Ways
2022
The ability of wild animals to navigate and survive in complex and dynamic environments depends on their ability to store relevant information and place it in a spatial context. Despite the centrality of spatial memory, and given our increasing ability to observe animal movements in the wild, it is perhaps surprising how difficult it is to demonstrate spatial memory empirically. We present a cognitive analysis of movements of several wolves (Canis lupus) in Finland during a summer period of intensive hunting and den-centered pup-rearing. We tracked several wolves in the field by visiting nearly all GPS locations outside the den, allowing us to identify the species, location and timing of ne…