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In 1993, a travel study was conducted along the Wasatch front in Utah (Research Systems Group INC, 2013). The main purpose of this study was to assess travel behavior to understand the needs for future growth in Utah. Since then, the Research Service Group (RSG), conducted a new study in 2012 to understand current travel preferences in Utah. This survey, called the Residential Choice Stated Preference survey, asked respondents to make ten choice comparisons between two hypothetical homes. Each home in the choice comparison was described by different attributes, those attributes that were used are, type of neighborhood, distance from important destinations, distance from access to public transport, street design, parking availability, commute distance to work, and price. The survey was designed to determine the extent to which Utah residents prefer alternative household attributes in a choice selection. Each attribute contained multiple characteristic levels that were randomly combined to define each alternative home in each choice comparison. Those choices can be explained by Random Utility Theory. Multinomial logistic regression will be used to estimate changes in utility when alternative attribute levels are present in a choice comparison. Using the coefficient estimate for price, a marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for each attribute level will be calculated. This paper will use two different approaches to obtain MWTP estimates. Method One will use housing and rent price to recode the price variable in dollar terms as defined in the discrete choice experiment. Method Two will recode the price variable as an average ten percent change in home value to extrapolate a one-time payment for homes. As a result, we found that it is possible to obtain willingness to pay estimates using both methods. The resulting interpretations in dollar terms became more relatable. Metropolitan planning organization can use these results to understand how residents perceive home value in dollar terms in the context of location-based attributes for homes.

Mobility is an undeniable issue for current and future elderly populations. The increasing popularity for retirees to live in rural communities makes this a particularly important issue in rural towns. When an elderly individual living in a rural community is no longer able to drive, issues that come with living in a rural area may be exacerbated, and the individual may experience a decrease in their quality of life. Although individuals may be able to use public transportation most existing options do not promote an independent lifestyle. Any updated rural transportation system benefiting the elderly would be funded by taxpayers. An understanding of the taxpayers' preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for transportation options, therefore, is essential. Few, if any economic studies have addressed this issue. The objectives of this research are to: (1) estimate economic willingness-to-pay (WTP) for public transportation options by using choice modeling techniques; and (2) better understand opinions related to public transportation for the elderly held by the general population as a whole and within different demographics. To complete these objectives, a choice survey was distributed to samples of three populations: residents of Atascosa County (located in south Texas); residents of Polk County (located in east Texas); and students at Texas A&M University. Respondents were presented with transportation options made of five attributes: addition to annual vehicle registration fee, days of operation, hours of operation, type of route, and senior citizen transportation fare discount. Results show both students and the general public value public transportation options and are willing to pay for specific transportation attributes. Respondents tended to prefer options which are more flexible than the less flexible attribute presented to them; however, respondents did not necessarily prefer the most flexible options. Students, generally, are willing to pay more for transportation attributes than county residents. Overall, both Atascosa and Polk County residents have similar WTP's, indicating both populations value rural public transportation similarly. The effects of socio-demographic variables on residents' decision to choose a transportation option appear to differ between the counties. These findings imply that while the influence of transportation attribute levels are consistent across counties, local input is important in customizing transportation systems to meet local expectations.

The United States has been a very attractive destination for foreign science and engineering graduate students and postdoctoral scholars for a considerable period of time. Despite the important role of foreign doctoral students in the U.S, relatively little is known about the factors influencing their decision to attend an institution. One factor that is rarely explored is the effect of networks on institution selection. This study aims to provide both qualitative and quantitative information about the role networks play in foreign doctoral students institution selection. This three-part study utilizes different methodologies: (1) focus group interviews conducted with Turkish doctoral students at the Georgia Institute of Technology; (2) a web study of research laboratories in science and engineering; and (3) the estimation of Random Utility Model (RUM) of institution selection. Guided focus group interviews provide important qualitative information about the ways students, alumni, faculty and local community of same nationality influence institution choice. The web study of research laboratories provide evidence that labs that are directed by foreign-born faculty are more likely to be populated by students from the same country of origin than are labs that are directed by native (U.S. born) faculty. The results from RUM of institution selection provide strong and significant evidence for the relationship between the number of existing students from a country of origin at an institution and the probability of attending that institution for potential applicants from the same country of origin. Also, in some of the models there is evidence that the alumni and faculty from the same origin also play a role in student choice. The results of this study have several policy implications related to integration of foreign doctoral students, future enrollments, institutional mismatch , and the role foreign-born faculty play in U.S universities.

This diploma thesis is concerned with the use of the choice experiment method for modelling the demand for recreation of rock-climbing in Czech Republic. The main scope of this diploma thesis is to find the main atributes for the individual's decision making about the choice of recreation area and derivation of their implicit prices. The next point of this diploma thesis is to find out a socioeconomic sctructure of the respondents. The theoretical part involves an explanation of the main economic terms, a detailed description of the choice experiment method and a list of papers concerned with a rock climbing. The practical part describes the procedure of the aplication choice experiment method step by step -- the questioning preparation, the data survey, the data analysis and the interpretation of results. The conditional logit is used to the choice experiment analysis.

Stochastic User Equilibrium (SUE) models allow the representation of the perceptual and preferential differences that exist when drivers compare alternative routes through a transportation network. However, as an effect of the used choice models, conventional applications of SUE are based on the assumption that all available routes have a positive probability of being chosen, however unattractive. In this paper, a novel choice model, the Bounded Choice Model (BCM), is presented along with network conditions for a corresponding Bounded SUE. The model integrates an exogenously-defined bound on the random utility of the set of paths that are used at equilibrium, within a Random Utility Theory (RUT) framework. The model predicts which routes are used and unused (the choice sets are equilibrated), while still ensuring that the distribution of flows on used routes accords to a Discrete Choice Model. Importantly, conditions to guarantee existence and uniqueness of the Bounded SUE are shown. Also, a corresponding solution algorithm is proposed and numerical results are reported by applying this to the Sioux Falls network.

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The United States has been a very attractive destination for foreign science and engineering graduate students and postdoctoral scholars for a considerable period of time. Despite the important role of foreign doctoral students in the U.S, relatively little is known about the factors influencing their decision to attend an institution. One factor that is rarely explored is the effect of networks on institution selection. This study aims to provide both qualitative and quantitative information about the role networks play in foreign doctoral students institution selection. This three-part study utilizes different methodologies: (1) focus group interviews conducted with Turkish doctoral students at the Georgia Institute of Technology; (2) a web study of research laboratories in science and engineering; and (3) the estimation of Random Utility Model (RUM) of institution selection. Guided focus group interviews provide important qualitative information about the ways students, alumni, faculty and local community of same nationality influence institution choice. The web study of research laboratories provide evidence that labs that are directed by foreign-born faculty are more likely to be populated by students from the same country of origin than are labs that are directed by native (U.S. born) faculty. The results from RUM of institution selection provide strong and significant evidence for the relationship between the number of existing students from a country of origin at an institution and the probability of attending that institution for potential applicants from the same country of origin. Also, in some of the models there is evidence that the alumni and faculty from the same origin also play a role in student choice. The results of this study have several policy implications related to integration of foreign doctoral students, future enrollments, institutional mismatch , and the role foreign-born faculty play in U.S universities.

New Zealand is internationally renowned for having some of the finest and most challenging trout fishing in the world. However, due to continuing development and angling pressure many fishing sites are showing signs of environmental degradation and over fishing. This trend is almost certain to continue into the future given continued population and economic growth. Understanding the determinants of site choice, preference heterogeneity and anglers’ substitution patterns is fundamentally important to fishery managers who have the difficult task of maintaining quality angling experiences on a number of fishing sites, managing angling pressure and maintaining license sales. Recent advances in simulation techniques and computational power have improved the capability of discrete choice models to reveal preference heterogeneity and complex substitution patterns among individuals. This thesis applies and evaluates a number of state-of-the-art discrete choice models to study angler site choice in New Zealand. Recreation specialisation theory is integrated into the analysis to enhance the behavioural representation of the statistical models. A suite of models is presented throughout the empirical portion of this thesis. These models demonstrate different ways and degrees of explaining preference heterogeneity as well as identifying anglers’ substitution patterns. The results show that North Canterbury anglers’ preferences vary considerably. Resource disturbances such as riparian margin erosion, reduced water visibility and declines in catch rates can cause significant declines in angler use of affected sites, and at the same time non-proportional increases in the use of unaffected sites. Recreation specialisation is found to be closely related to the types of fishing site conditions, experiences and regulations preferred by anglers. Anglers’ preference intensities for fishing site attributes, such as catch rates, vary across different types of fishing sites. This location specific preference heterogeneity is found to be related to specialisation. Overall, the empirical findings indicate that conventional approaches to modelling angler site choice which do not incorporate a strong understanding of angler preference heterogeneity can lead to poorly representative models and suboptimal management and policy outcomes.

The dissertation consists of four essays that treat different aspects or the evaluation of public policy. Two essays are applications of the travel cost method. In the first of these, recreational travel to the Swedish coast is studied to obtain estimates of the social benefits from reduced eutrophication of the sea. The second travel cost essay attempts at estimating how the probability that a woman will undergo mammographic screening for breast cancer is affected by the distance she has to travel to undergo such an examination. Using these estimated probabilities, the woman's valuation of the examination is obtained. The two other essays deal with automobile taxation. One essay analyzes how taxation and the Swedish eco-labeling system of automobiles have affected the sale of different car models. The last essay treats the effects of taxes and of scrappage premiums on the life length of cars. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 1999