Experimental Design Criteria and Their Behavioural Efficiency: An Evaluation in the Field

Yao, Richard; Scarpa, Raffaele; Rose, John M.; Turner, James A.

doi:10.1007/s10640-014-9823-7

Cited by 26 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 60 publications

(5 reference statements)

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“…We used a statistically efficient design to increase the amount of information about preferences obtained from each choice. This type of design is typically associated with a higher level of cognitive difficulty for the participants because it increases the similarity between the choice options, thus leading to more complex trade‐offs (Reed Johnson et al, ; Yao, Scarpa, Rose, & Turner, ). The BWDCE method can be seen as a variant of the ranking approach, taking advantage of human ability to better identify extreme events (e.g., highly desirable vs. highly undesirable options).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

For better or worse? Investigating the validity of best–worst discrete choice experiments in health

2019

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Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) are frequently used in health economics to measure preferences for nonmarket goods. Best–worst discrete choice experiment (BWDCE) has been proposed as a variant of the traditional “pick the best” approach. BWDCE, where participants choose the best and worst options, is argued to generate more precise preference estimates because of the additional information collected. However, the validity of the approach relies on two necessary conditions: (a) best and worst decisions provide similar information about preferences and (b) asking individuals to answer more than one choice question per task does not reduce data quality. Whether these conditions hold in empirical applications remains under researched. This is the first study to compare participants' choices across three experimental conditions: (a) BEST choices only, (b) WORST choices only, and (c) BEST and WORST choices (BWDCE). We find responses to worst choices are noisier. Implied preferences from the best only and worst only choices are qualitatively different, leading to different WTP values. Responses to BWDCE tasks have lower consistency, and respondents are more likely to use simplifying decision heuristics. We urge caution in using BWDCE as an alternative to the traditional “pick the best” DCE.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

For better or worse? Investigating the validity of best–worst discrete choice experiments in health

2019

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“…Other issues that should be considered when developing an experimental design include, but are not limited to, information order effects (Chrzan 1994;Kjaer et al 2006), attribute nonattendance Scarpa et al 2009; Scarpa, Thiene, and Hensher 2010; Campbell, Hensher, and Scarpa 2011; Hole 2011; Hensher, Rose, and Greene 2012; Hole, Kolstad, and Gyrd-Hansen 2013), omitted attributes (Petrin and Train 2003), bid amount effects (Boyle, Johnson, and McCollum 1997;Hanley, Adamowicz, and Wright 2005), statistical power (Vossler 2016), and effects of the chosen optimization criteria (Yao et al 2015;Olsen and Meyerhoff 2016). As discussed above, respondents may develop coping strategies (heuristics) to deal with choice complexity, suggesting that designs should include a limited number of attributes that are particularly relevant to decision makers and respondents.…”

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contemporary Guidance for Stated Preference Studies

Johnston

Boyle

Adamowicz

et al. 2017

Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Econom

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707

672

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This article proposes contemporary best-practice recommendations for stated preference (SP) studies used to inform decision making, grounded in the accumulated body of peer-reviewed literature. These recommendations consider the use of SP methods to estimate both use and non-use (passive-use) values, and cover the broad SP domain, including contingent valuation and discrete choice experiments. We focus on applications to public goods in the context of the environment and human health but also consider ways in which the proposed recommendations might apply to other common areas of application. The recommendations recognize that SP results may be used and reused (benefit transfers) by governmental agencies and nongovernmental organizations, and that all such applications must be considered. The intended result is a set of guidelines for SP studies that is more comprehensive than that of the original National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Blue Ribbon Panel on contingent valuation, is more germane to contemporary applications, and reflects the two decades of research since that time. We also distinguish between practices for which accumulated research is sufficient to support recommendations and those for which greater uncertainty remains. The goal of this article is to raise the quality of SP studies used to support decision making and promote research that will further enhance the practice of these studies worldwide.

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“…Specifically, each design was optimized for median Bayesian D-error of the MNL model (Scarpa and Rose, 2008). 6 D-efficient designs have also recently been found to result in lower attribute non-attendance (Yao et al, 2015). The designs used Bayesian priors to account for the uncertainty associated with our imperfect knowledge of the true parameters (Bliemer et al, 2008).…”

Section: The Questionnairementioning

confidence: 99%

Are bilateral conservation policies for the Białowieża forest unattainable? Analysis of stated preferences of Polish and Belarusian public

Valasiuk¹,

Czajkowski²,

Giergiczny³

et al. 2017

JFE

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a b s t r a c tTransboundary nature protected areas constitute a considerable proportion of all the existing spatial forms of biodiversity protection. One prominent example is the Białowieża Forest, shared by Poland and Belarus. There is a considerable literature on allocation of funds to preserving nature shared by several countries. Some of this literature assess the funding schemes and the impacts on biodiversity within the EU. A particular challenge for the Białowieża Forest is that the larger part of it is outside the EU border. There has been less research on the economic benefits that citizens attach to protected transboundary land nature on the other side of the border. We are trying to fill the gap by finding out and comparing preferences towards increased protection of domestic and foreign segments of the transboundary Białowieża Forest, stated by samples of Polish and Belarusian citizens. The results of a discrete choice experiment show an almost unilateral preference for nature conservation, passive protection of forest land, on the domestic side. Whilst Polish respondents on average are willing to pay for an increased area under protection, on their side of the border, most Belarusians seem to be satisfied with the status quo. Taken at face value, there is even an apparent mutual disutility derived from the perspective of co-financing bilateral passive protection programmes in the Białowieża Forest. By use of latent class analyses of responses, a group of the Polish sample willing to contribute to the transboundary conservation is identified and described, and compared against the non-cooperative groups on both sides of the border. The results can to some extent be explained by a strict border division with a high fence, by differences in welfare or by behavioural reasons. However, it cannot be ruled out that the affected populations simply do not perceive the Białowieża Forest as a binational public good.

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Experimental Design Criteria and Their Behavioural Efficiency: An Evaluation in the Field

Cited by 26 publications

References 60 publications

For better or worse? Investigating the validity of best–worst discrete choice experiments in health

For better or worse? Investigating the validity of best–worst discrete choice experiments in health

Contemporary Guidance for Stated Preference Studies

Are bilateral conservation policies for the Białowieża forest unattainable? Analysis of stated preferences of Polish and Belarusian public

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