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cemmap Working Papers
October 2006 CWP20/06
Article
Using a Laplace approximation to estimate the random coefficients logit model by non-linear least squares
Type: cemmap Working Papers
Authors: Matthew Harding and Jerry Hausman
ISSN: 1753-9196
Volume, issue, pages: 30 pp.
Now published in: International Economic Review [Details]

Current methods of estimating the random coefficients logit model employ simulations of the distribution of the taste parameters through pseudo-random sequences. These methods suffer from difficulties in estimating correlations between parameters and computational limitations such as the curse of dimensionality. This paper provides a solution to these problems by approximating the integral expression of the expected choice probability using a multivariate extension of the Laplace approximation. Simulation results reveal that our method performs very well, both in terms of accuracy and computational time.

This paper is a revised version of CWP01/06.

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