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Discrete Choice Experiment (discrete + choice_experiment)
Selected AbstractsForecasting the Adoption of GM Oilseed Rape: Evidence from a Discrete Choice Experiment in GermanyJOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2008Gunnar Breustedt C42; C81; Q12; Q16 Abstract This paper explores farmers' willingness to adopt genetically modified (GM) oilseed rape prior to its commercial release and estimates the ,demand' for the new technology. The analysis is based upon choice experiments with 202 German arable farmers. A multinomial probit estimation reveals that GM attributes such as gross margin, expected liability from cross pollination, or flexibility in returning to conventional oilseed rape significantly affect the likelihood of adoption. Neighbouring farmers' attitudes towards GM cropping and a number of farmer and farm characteristics were also found to be significant determinants of prospective adoption. Demand simulations suggest that adoption rates are very sensitive to the profit difference between GM and non-GM rape varieties. A monopolistic seed price would substantially reduce demand for the new technology. A monopolistic seed supplier would reap between 45% and 80% of the GM rent, and the deadweight loss of the monopoly would range between 15% and 30% of that rent. The remaining rent for farmers may be too small to outweigh possible producer price discounts resulting from the costs of segregating GM and non-GM oilseed rape along the supply chain. [source] A cohort study to examine whether time and risk preference is related to smoking cessation successADDICTION, Issue 6 2009Rei Goto ABSTRACT Aim To identify whether time and risk preference predicts relapse among smokers trying to quit. Design A cohort study of smokers who had recently started to quit. Time and risk preference parameters were estimated using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). Participants A total of 689 smokers who began quitting smoking within the previous month. Measurements Time discount rate, coefficient of risk-aversion measured at study entry and duration of smoking cessation measured for 6 months. Findings In the unadjusted model, Cox's proportional hazard regression showed that those with a high time discount rate were more likely to relapse [hazard ratio: 1.18, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11,1.25]. A high coefficient of risk-aversion reduced the hazard of relapse (0.96, 0.96,0.97). When adjusted for other predictors of relapse (age, gender, self-efficacy of quitting, health status, mood variation, past quitting experience, the use of nicotine replacement therapy, nicotine dependence), the hazard ratios of time discount rate and the coefficient of risk-aversion is 1.17 (95% CI: 1.10,1.24) and 0.98 (95% CI: 0.97,0.99), respectively. Conclusions Those who emphasize future rewards (time,patient preference) and those who give more importance to rewards that are certain (higher risk-aversion) were significantly more likely to continue to abstain from smoking. [source] Winners and losers of conservation policies for European eel, Anguilla anguilla: an economic welfare analysis for differently specialised eel anglersFISHERIES MANAGEMENT & ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2010M. DOROW Abstract, Recreational specialisation theory was coupled with a discrete choice experiment to understand eel, Anguilla anguilla L., angler's heterogeneity in their reaction to regulatory changes and the associated welfare changes. Differently specialised eel anglers exhibited distinct preferences for catch variables and eel angling regulations. All anglers preferred slightly to moderately stricter regulations than are currently in place; however, such policies particularly benefited casual eel anglers. In contrast, advanced eel anglers would be most penalised by highly restrictive regulations as indicated by substantial reductions in economic welfare. Aversions to stricter regulations found for advanced anglers contradicted predictions from specialisation theory. From an eel management perspective, the implementation of some simple tools such as increased minimum-size limits will reduce angling mortality on eel and simultaneously increase the welfare of anglers. By contrast, highly restrictive eel angling regulations will result in considerable economic welfare losses of several million , per year for northern Germany alone. [source] Think twice before you book?HEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 6 2010Modelling the choice of public vs private dentist in a choice experiment Abstract This study concerns the choice of primary dental service provider by consumers. If the health service delivery system allows individuals to choose between public-care providers or if complementary private services are available, it is typically assumed that utilisation is a three-stage decision process. The patient first makes a decision to seek care, and then chooses the service provider. The final stage, involving decisions over the amount and form of treatment, is not considered here. The paper reports a discrete choice experiment (DCE) designed to evaluate attributes affecting individuals' choice of dental-care provider. The feasibility of the DCE approach in modelling consumers' choice in the context of non-acute need for dental care is assessed. The aim is to test whether a separate two-stage logit, a multinomial logit, or a nested logit best fits the choice process of consumers. A nested logit model of indirect utility functions is estimated and inclusive value (IV) constraints are tested for modelling implications. The results show that non-trading behaviour has an impact on the choice of appropriate modelling technique, but is to some extent dependent on the choice of scenarios offered. It is concluded that for traders multinomial logit is appropriate, whereas for non-traders and on average the nested logit is the method supported by the analyses. The consistent finding in all subgroup analyses is that the traditional two-stage decision process is found to be implausible in the context of consumer's choice of dental-care provider. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Comparing welfare estimates from payment card contingent valuation and discrete choice experimentsHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2009Mandy Ryan Abstract This study presents the first comparison of willingness to pay estimates derived from the payment card (PC) contingent valuation and discrete choice experiment (DCE) methods. A within-sample experiment was used to elicit women's preferences for Chlamydia screening. The willingness to pay estimate derived from the DCE was larger than that derived from the PC. To investigate why the willingness to pay estimates were different, a range of validity tests were conducted. Both methods produced theoretically valid results, and there was no difference in the reported difficulty of completing the tasks. Evidence of a prominence effect was found in the PC responses. Responses to the DCE satisfied tests of non-satiation. Responses to both methods were compared with revealed preference data. There were significant differences between stated screening intention in both methods and actual screening uptake. Future work should address the external validity of stated preference methods. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Patient preferences for managing asthma: results from a discrete choice experimentHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 7 2007Madeleine T. King Abstract Effective control of asthma requires regular preventive medication. Poor medication adherence suggests that patient preferences for medications may differ from the concerns of the prescribing clinicians. This study investigated patient preferences for preventive medications across symptom control, daily activities, medication side-effects, convenience and costs, using a discrete choice experiment embedded in a randomized clinical trial involving patients with mild,moderate persistent asthma. The present data were collected after patients had received 6 weeks' treatment with one of two drugs. Three choice options were presented, to continue with the current drug, to change to an alternative, hypothetical drug, or to take no preventive medication. Analysis used random parameter multinomial logit. Most respondents chose to continue with their current drug in most choice situations but this tendency differed depending on which medication they had been allocated. Respondents valued their ability to participate in usual daily activities and sport, preferred minimal symptoms, and were less likely to choose drugs with side-effects. Cost was also significant, but other convenience attributes were not. Demographic characteristics did not improve the model fit. This study illustrates how discrete choice experiments may be embedded in a clinical trial to provide insights into patient preferences. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Towards a multi-criteria approach for priority setting: an application to GhanaHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 7 2006Rob Baltussen Abstract Background: Many criteria have been proposed to guide priority setting in health, but their relative importance has not yet been determined in a way that allows a rank ordering of interventions. Methods: In an explorative study, a discrete choice experiment was carried out to determine the relative importance of different criteria in identifying priority interventions in Ghana. Thirty respondents chose between 12 pairs of scenarios that described interventions in terms of medical and non-medical criteria. Subsequently, a composite league table was constructed to rank order a set of interventions by mapping interventions on those criteria and considering the relative weights of different criteria. Results: Interventions that are cost-effective, reduce poverty, target severe diseases, or target the young had a higher probability of being chosen than others. The composite league table showed that high priority interventions in Ghana are prevention of mother to child transmission in HIV/AIDS control, and treatment of pneumonia and diarrhoea in childhood. Low priority interventions are certain interventions to control blood pressure, tobacco and alcohol abuse. The composite league table lead to a different and more differentiated rank ordering of interventions compared to pure efficiency ratings. Conclusion: This explorative study has introduced a multi-criteria approach to priority setting. It has shown the feasibility of accounting for efficiency, equity and other societal concerns in prioritization decisions, and its potentially large impact on priority setting. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Eliciting individual preferences for health care: a case study of perinatal careHEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 1 2010Marjon Van Der Pol PhD Abstract Objective, To demonstrate how a discrete choice experiment (DCE) can be used to elicit individuals' preferences for health care and how these preferences can be incorporated into a cost,benefit analysis. Methods, A DCE which elicited preferences for three perinatal services: specialist nurse appointments; home visits from a trained lay visitor; and home-help. Cost was included to obtain a monetary measure of the value that individuals place on the services. In total, 292 women who had previously participated in a randomized trial of alternative forms of pre-natal care were interviewed. Results, The most preferred service configuration consisted of three nurse appointments and two home visits before birth and 4 h of home-help per week for the first 4 weeks after birth. On average, women are willing to pay $371 for this package. A package that excluded home-help was valued at $122 whilst provision of three nurse appointments only was valued at $97. The predicted uptake of the services ranged from 37% to 93% depending on the woman's experience with the service, whether or not it was her first child and her level of education. Conclusion, The willingness to pay values were much higher than the costs for nurse appointments, suggesting this service produces a net social benefit. The willingness to pay for the package including both the nurse appointments and home visits only just exceeded the costs of the package, suggesting there is a relatively high chance that this package produces a net social loss. [source] Acceptability of willingness to pay techniques to consumersHEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 4 2002Susan J. Taylor PhD Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the proportion of usable responses and protest votes obtained with two willingness to pay (WTP) techniques, contingent valuation (CV) and discrete choice experiment (DCE) and to assess the acceptability of the techniques to respondents. Setting and participants Pregnant women attending the public antenatal clinics of a Sydney teaching hospital were surveyed. Main variables studied Preference for either Treatment A (artificial rupture of the membranes followed by intravenous oxytocin) or Treatment B (prostaglandin E2 gel followed by oxytocin if necessary) was assessed. Then WTP for the preferred treatments was assessed using CV and WTP for specific attributes of the treatments in the DCE. In addition, the acceptability of the two techniques was compared in terms of responses deemed to be valid according to defined criteria, protest votes and comments recorded by consumers. Results With the CV, 74% of respondents chose gel and their maximum WTP was Aus$178 compared with $133 for the alternative. A total of 68% of responses were deemed to be valid including 5% who may have been expressing a protest vote. With the DCE, respondents were WTP $55 for every 1 h reduction in the length of time from induction to delivery. A total of 72% of responses were deemed valid and only two of these 258 women were considered to have expressed a protest vote. Conclusions Only a small number of women expressed objections to the use of WTP questions in health-care and the majority of women completed both questions successfully. [source] Agency conflicts between board and managerNONPROFIT MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP, Issue 2 2009A discrete choice experiment in Flemish nonprofit schools Detecting agency problems is an important task when assessing the effectiveness of a nonprofit organization's governance. A first step is to examine the objectives of principals and agents and determine whether there is a systematic difference between them. Using a discrete choice experiment, we identify the objectives of board chairpersons (principals) and headmasters (agents) of Flemish nonprofit schools. We find systematic differences between the two groups. Of the seven possible objectives set out in the experiment, six are relevant for both headmasters and board chairpersons. For four of these, the preferences of both groups differ significantly. Whereas ideological values play an important role for both the board and the headmaster, they are significantly more important for the board. Both parties dislike having a large number of pupils, and the disutility is larger for the board. With respect to job satisfaction and pupil satisfaction, we find the opposite: while the board is prepared to give up pupil and job satisfaction in favor of the other objectives, these two objectives score very high on the priority list of the headmasters. [source] A multi-attribute trade-off approach for advancing the management of marine wildlife tourism: a quantitative assessment of heterogeneous visitor preferencesAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 2 2009Christina A.D. Semeniuk Abstract 1.Wildlife tourism can be prone to unmitigated development to promote visitor satisfaction that is all too often progressed at the cost of ecological integrity. A manager is thus faced with the dual task of enhancing the tourist experience and protecting the wildlife species. Accordingly, this mandate requires research into how tourists would respond to proposed wildlife-management plans. 2.This study examines the heterogeneity of tourist preferences for wildlife management at a stingray-feeding attraction in the Cayman Islands, using a latent class stated preference choice model. A sample of visitors to Stingray City Sandbar (SCS) evaluated hypothetical wildlife viewing experiences in a discrete choice experiment. Its scenarios were characterized by seven attributes such as animal-feeding and handling rules, ecological outcomes, social crowding, and management cost (defined as a conservation access fee). 3.The latent class segmentation identified two groups in the population: approximately 68% preferred the implementation of fairly strict management rules, while the other 32% valued more the maintenance of status quo with its intensive human , wildlife interactions. Despite the differences between the ,pro-management' and the ,pro-current' segments, both exhibited a preference for the continuation of feeding and handling the stingrays (albeit at different levels of intensity) suggesting that one effective way to implement any management actions is to alter the promotional and marketing strategies for SCS. Other survey questions on trip experience, conservation values, and socio-demographics were used to define these classes further, with the main distinguishing trait being the level of concern for potential impacts occurring at SCS. The discrepancies between the two segments became most obvious when calculating their respective market shares of support for alternative management strategies. 4.This approach to determining visitor preferences can help explain how the various segments will be affected by management options, and therefore can provide the basis for developing feasible strategies that will assist wildlife managers in maximizing tourist satisfaction while achieving wildlife-protection goals. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Preferences for aspects of a dermatology consultationBRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 2 2006J. Coast Summary Background, General practitioners with special interests (GPSIs) are increasingly being used to provide dermatology services in the U.K. Little is known about U.K. dermatology patient attitudes to proposed variations in secondary care service delivery or the values they attach to aspects of the care they receive. Objectives, To quantify preferences for different attributes of care within dermatology secondary care services. Methods, Attributes of care that are important to dermatology patients were derived using in-depth qualitative interviews with 19 patients at different points in the care pathway. A discrete choice experiment using ,best,worst scaling' was sent by post to 119 patients referred to secondary care dermatology services and suitable for GPSI care who had agreed to participate in research. Results, Four attributes were derived from the qualitative work: waiting, expertise, thorough care and convenience. For the discrete choice experiment, 99 patients returned questionnaires, 93 of which contained sufficient data for analysis. All attributes were found to be quantitatively important. The attribute of greatest importance was expertise of the doctor, while waiting time was of least importance. Respondents were willing to wait longer than the current 3 months maximum to receive care that was thorough, 2·1 months to see a team led by an expert and 1·3 months to attend a consultation that is easy to get to. Conclusions, Although the need to reduce outpatient waiting times is a key policy driver behind the expansion of GPSI services, this does not appear to be the most important issue for patients. The thoroughness with which the consultation is provided and the expertise of the clinician seen are higher priorities. [source] Using DCE and ranking data to estimate cardinal values for health states for deriving a preference-based single index from the sexual quality of life questionnaireHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 11 2009Julie Ratcliffe Abstract There is an increasing interest in using data derived from ordinal methods, particularly data derived from discrete choice experiments (DCEs), to estimate the cardinal values for health states to calculate quality adjusted life years (QALYs). Ordinal measurement strategies such as DCE may have considerable practical advantages over more conventional cardinal measurement techniques, e.g. time trade-off (TTO), because they may not require such a high degree of abstract reasoning. However, there are a number of challenges to deriving the cardinal values for health states using ordinal data, including anchoring the values on the full health,dead scale used to calculate QALYs. This paper reports on a study that deals with these problems in the context of using two ordinal techniques, DCE and ranking, to derive the cardinal values for health states derived from a condition-specific sexual health measure. The results were compared with values generated using a commonly used cardinal valuation technique, the TTO. This study raises some important issues about the use of ordinal data to produce cardinal health state valuations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Comparing welfare estimates from payment card contingent valuation and discrete choice experimentsHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2009Mandy Ryan Abstract This study presents the first comparison of willingness to pay estimates derived from the payment card (PC) contingent valuation and discrete choice experiment (DCE) methods. A within-sample experiment was used to elicit women's preferences for Chlamydia screening. The willingness to pay estimate derived from the DCE was larger than that derived from the PC. To investigate why the willingness to pay estimates were different, a range of validity tests were conducted. Both methods produced theoretically valid results, and there was no difference in the reported difficulty of completing the tasks. Evidence of a prominence effect was found in the PC responses. Responses to the DCE satisfied tests of non-satiation. Responses to both methods were compared with revealed preference data. There were significant differences between stated screening intention in both methods and actual screening uptake. Future work should address the external validity of stated preference methods. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Patient preferences for managing asthma: results from a discrete choice experimentHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 7 2007Madeleine T. King Abstract Effective control of asthma requires regular preventive medication. Poor medication adherence suggests that patient preferences for medications may differ from the concerns of the prescribing clinicians. This study investigated patient preferences for preventive medications across symptom control, daily activities, medication side-effects, convenience and costs, using a discrete choice experiment embedded in a randomized clinical trial involving patients with mild,moderate persistent asthma. The present data were collected after patients had received 6 weeks' treatment with one of two drugs. Three choice options were presented, to continue with the current drug, to change to an alternative, hypothetical drug, or to take no preventive medication. Analysis used random parameter multinomial logit. Most respondents chose to continue with their current drug in most choice situations but this tendency differed depending on which medication they had been allocated. Respondents valued their ability to participate in usual daily activities and sport, preferred minimal symptoms, and were less likely to choose drugs with side-effects. Cost was also significant, but other convenience attributes were not. Demographic characteristics did not improve the model fit. This study illustrates how discrete choice experiments may be embedded in a clinical trial to provide insights into patient preferences. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Deleting ,irrational' responses from discrete choice experiments: a case of investigating or imposing preferences?HEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 8 2006Emily Lancsar Abstract Investigation of the ,rationality' of responses to discrete choice experiments (DCEs) has been a theme of research in health economics. Responses have been deleted from DCEs where they have been deemed by researchers to (a) be ,irrational', defined by such studies as failing tests for non-satiation, or (b) represent lexicographic preferences. This paper outlines a number of reasons why deleting responses from DCEs may be inappropriate after first reviewing the theory underpinning rationality, highlighting that the importance placed on rationality depends on the approach to consumer theory to which one ascribes. The aim of this paper is not to suggest that all preferences elicited via DCEs are rational. Instead, it is to suggest a number of reasons why it may not be the case that all preferences labelled as ,irrational' are indeed so. Hence, deleting responses may result in the removal of valid preferences; induce sample selection bias; and reduce the statistical efficiency and power of the estimated choice models. Further, evidence suggests random utility theory may be able to cope with such preferences. Finally, we discuss a number of implications for the design, implementation and interpretation of DCEs and recommend caution regarding the deletion of preferences from stated preference experiments. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Using discrete choice experiments to value preferences for pharmacy servicesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACY PRACTICE, Issue 1 2005Dr. Katherine Payne Research fellow Objective This paper describes the application of discrete choice experiments (DCEs), in the measurement of consumers' preferences for pharmacy services. Summary Patients' preferences for healthcare influence strongly their use of services. Quantifying revealed preferences for services (what services people use) is not always possible because either the service does not yet exist or the consumer has no experience of it. There is a need for tools that measure stated preference (what people say they will do) for healthcare, to allow development of new services. DCEs have been used in the valuation of preferences for healthcare services and interventions and can be applied usefully to the valuation of preferences for pharmacy services. DCEs assume that preferences are based on preferences for different attributes of a service, and that consumers are prepared to trade off one attribute against another, such as effectiveness versus side-effects. In a DCE study, respondents make hypothetical choices between scenarios of services with fixed attributes, but varying levels, revealing their strength of preference for attributes of that service. These data are analysed using regression, which generates coefficients that quantify the direction and magnitude of preferences. Marginal rates of substitution and willingness to pay for each attribute can be estimated, which provide powerful information for future service provision. For this approach to be applied in practice, key methodological issues must be handled explicitly, principally scenario design, attribute and level selection, orthogonality, level balance, minimal overlap and utility balance. A hypothetical example of a DCE designed for valuing consumers' preferences for a medication review service for the elderly is described. [source] | |||||||||||||