About Modelling
The formulation of effective policies frequently requires a quantitative understanding of the likely consequences of different decisions. The modelling team at RAND Europe aims to provide this quantitative understanding and focuses specifically on modelling the choice behaviour of individuals in order to provide an evidence base to inform the wider policy debate.
Within Transport
The application of disaggregate discrete choice models in transport in the last 20 years has allowed significant improvements in the quality and range of applicability of urban, regional and national travel demand forecasting techniques. RAND Europe specialises in the development of model systems able to accurately predict traveller responses under a wide range of policies and exogenous changes.
Members of RAND Europe's Modelling Team have contributed to the development and testing of new modelling approaches in transport studies for decades.
Wider Applications
In addition to its work within transport, RAND Europe applies its modelling techniques to a number of other sectors, including choices in health, utilities, and wider public services.
Two sources of data typically inform the choice models that RAND Europe builds: revealed preference data from observed "real world" choices, and stated preference data from choice experiments. The latter is important in assessing the likely response to options that are not currently available (an issue of importance when looking at innovative policies that may bring new options to citizens).
RAND Europe has significant expertise in designing and analysing stated preference choice experiments. This includes the application of stated preference techniques to understanding choices for new alternatives and eliciting willingness to pay measures through measuring trade-offs.
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