EcoSta 2018: Registration
View Submission - EcoSta2018
A0171
Title: A note on estimating network dependence in a discrete choice model Authors:  Jing Zhou - Renmin University of China (China) [presenting]
Da Huang - Fudan University (China)
Hansheng Wang - Peking University (China)
Abstract: Discrete choice model is probably one of the most popularly used statistical methods in practice. The common feature of this model is that it considers the behavioral factors of a person and the assumption of independent individuals. However, this widely accepted assumption seems problematic, because human beings do not live in isolation. They interact with each other and form complex networks. Then, the application of discrete choice model to network data will allow for network dependence in a general framework. We focus on a discrete choice model with probit error which is specified as a latent spatial autoregressive model(SAR). This model could be viewed as a natural extension of the classical SAR model. The key difference is that the network dependence is latent and unobservable. Instead, it could be measured by a binary response variable. Parameter estimation then becomes a challenging task due to the complicated objective function. Following the idea of composite likelihood, an approximated paired maximum likelihood estimator (APMLE) is developed. Numerical studies are carried out to assess the finite sample performance of the proposed estimator. Finally a real dataset of Sina Weibo is analyzed for illustration purpose.