Journal Article A Structured Logit Model of Auto Ownership and Mode Choice Get access Kenneth Train Kenneth Train Cambridge Systematics Inc., Berkeley Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Review of Economic Studies, Volume 47, Issue 2, January 1980, Pages 357–370, https://doi.org/10.2307/2296997 Published: 01 January 1980 Article history Received: 01 April 1978 Accepted: 01 December 1978 Published: 01 January 1980

Endogeneity arises for numerous reasons in models of consumer choice. It leads to inconsistency with standard estimation methods that maintain independence between the model's error and the included variables. The authors describe a control function approach for handling endogeneity in choice models. Observed variables and economic theory are used to derive controls for the dependence between the endogenous variable and the demand error. The theory points to the relationships that contain information on the unobserved demand factor, such as the pricing equation and the advertising equation. The authors’ approach is an alternative to Berry, Levinsohn, and Pakes's (1995) product-market controls for unobserved quality. The authors apply both methods to examine households’ choices among television options, including basic and premium cable packages, in which unobserved attributes, such as quality of programming, are expected to be correlated with price. Without correcting for endogeneity, aggregate demand is estimated to be upward-sloping, suggesting that omitted attributes are positively correlated with demand. Both the control function method and the product-market controls method produce downward-sloping demand estimates that are similar.

Mixed logit models, also called random-parameters or error-components logit, are a generalization of standard logit that do not exhibit the restrictive “independence from irrelevant alternatives” property and explicitly account for correlations in unobserved utility over repeated choices by each customer. Mixed logits are estimated for households' choices of appliances under utility-sponsored programs that offer rebates or loans on high-efficiency appliances.

When offered a new product whose attributes are unknown, customers can determine whether they like the product by trying it themselves or can wait to observe the experience of other customers who try the product. We specify a rational decision process and investigate the implications of learning from others on the sales of new products and the impact of advertising.

The authors describe and apply methods for empirically investigating the relation between consumption and tariff choice. These methods allow (1) testing of alternative specifications for the relations of tariff choice and consumption patterns, (2) estimation of parameters that provide information on the response of customers to marginal prices and fixed fees, and (3) a determination of the extent to which the assumptions embodied in welfare results on self-selecting tariffs are valid in a particular setting. They apply the procedures to residential demand for local telephone service in an area where households are offered a choice among tariffs. Copyright 1989 by MIT Press.

When offered a new product whose attributes are unknown, customers can determine whether they like the product by trying it themselves or can wait to observe the experience of other customers who try the product. The authors specify a rational decision process and investigate the implications of learning from others on the sales of new products and the impact of advertising. Copyright 1996 by University of Chicago Press.

Douglas W. Caves, Joseph A. Herriges, Kenneth E. Train, Robert J. Windle, A Bayesian Approach to Combining Conditional Demand and Engineering Models of Electricity Usage, The Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 69, No. 3 (Aug., 1987), pp. 438-448

Kenneth E. Train, Daniel L. McFadden, Andrew A. Goett, Consumer Attitudes and Voluntary Rate Schedules for Public Utilities, The Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 69, No. 3 (Aug., 1987), pp. 383-391