Together alone: a group-based polarization measurement

Quality & Quantity - The growing polarization of our societies and economies has been extensively studied in various disciplines and is subject to public controversy. Yet, measuring...     

Random regret minimization for consumer choice modeling: Assessment of empirical evidence

This paper introduces to the field of marketing a regret-based discrete choice model for the analysis of multi-attribute consumer choices from multinomial choice sets. This random regret minimization (RRM) model, which has recently been introduced in the field of transport, forms a regret-based counterpart of the canonical random utility maximization (RUM) paradigm. This paper assesses empirical results based on 43 comparisons reported in peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, with the aim of finding out to what extent, when, and how RRM can form a viable addition to the consumer choice modeler's toolkit. The paper shows that RRM and hybrid RRM–RUM models outperform RUM counterparts in a majority of cases, in terms of model fit and predictive ability. Although differences in performance are quite small, the two paradigms often result in markedly different managerial implications due to considerable differences in, for example, market share forecasts.     

Modeling politicians' preferences for road pricing policies: A regret-based and utilitarian perspective

This paper presents the results of a stated choice-study among Dutch local politicians in the context of road pricing policies. Politicians were asked to express their preferences for policy-options that differed in terms of (i) emissions reduction, (ii) congestion reduction, (iii) operational costs, (iv) acceptability among the general public and (v) acceptability among retailers. Utility-maximization-based and regret-minimization-based discrete choice models were estimated, and their results compared, on 238 stated choices made by members of Dutch city-councils. The estimated models allow for the evaluation of the popularity of different road pricing scenarios among Dutch local politicians, as a function of their performance in terms of the above-mentioned criteria.     

Modeling experienced accessibility for utility-maximizers and regret-minimizers

This paper argues that there is a discrepancy between what Logsum-measures of accessibility aim to measure (experienced-utility) and what they actually measure (decision-utility). The latter type of utility refers to the evaluation of an alternative with the aim of making a decision, while the former refers to the evaluation of a chosen alternative after the choice has been made. We argue that accessibility should preferably be conceptualized and operationalized in terms of experienced-utility, but that this type of utility is difficult to measure. Motivated by these observations we show, taking the Logsum as a starting point, how its building blocks (parameters estimated from choice patterns) can be used to construct closed-form and easy to compute accessibility-measures that provide an approximation of experienced-utility. We distinguish between decision-making based on utility-maximization and regret-minimization premises. Using a small-scale case-study building on departure time-choice data, we illustrate the working of the developed accessibility-measures and highlight how they differ from the Logsum-approach.     

Random Regret Minimization: Exploration of a New Choice Model for Environmental and Resource Economics

This paper introduces the discrete choice model-paradigm of Random Regret Minimization (RRM) to the field of environmental and resource economics. The RRM-approach has been very recently developed in the context of travel demand modelling and presents a tractable, regret-based alternative to the dominant choice-modelling paradigm based on Random Utility Maximization-theory (RUM-theory). We highlight how RRM-based models provide closed form, logit-type formulations for choice probabilities that allow for capturing semi-compensatory behaviour and choice set-composition effects while being equally parsimonious as their utilitarian counterparts. Using data from a Stated Choice-experiment aimed at identifying valuations of characteristics of nature parks, we compare RRM-based models and RUM-based models in terms of parameter estimates, goodness of fit, elasticities and consequential policy implications.