The 2 week workshop covers introductory topics related to choice models, preference heterogeneity and design of Discrete Choice Experiments (DCEs) (Introductory Week) and recent extensions of advanced discrete choice models, Best-Worst Scaling (BWS) and individual-level modelling (Advanced Topics). Hands-on examples allow participants to understand not just conceptual ideas, but also the mechanics of implementing the ideas in practical settings of policy making in energy and environmental resources.

Scientific Committee
Mara Thiene (Dip. Territorio e Sistemi Agroforestali in University of Padua)
Roberto Caldon (Centro Studi LEVI CASES, Dipartimento Di Ingegneria Elettrica in University of Padua)
Michele Moretto (Dipartimento Di Scienze Economiche 'Marco Fanno' in University of Padua)

Who should attend?
The course is intended for researchers and advanced practitioners specially focussing on matters related to policy making in energy and environmental resources. Over the last few decades, more precise, reliable and valid research methodologies have been developed to tackle some of the highly complex issues regarding policy making. The course will provide knowledge in state-of-the-art instruments to optimize the allocation of resources when dealing with energy and environmental resources based on public views and opinions regarding the matters. Participants should have a background in statistics and some familiarity with econometrics, but advanced training is not necessary.

Studying in Padua
Studying in Padua also means enjoying Padua, taking advantage of a stimulating environment that combines art and science, modernity and tradition. Padua is growing constantly and its commercial and industrial development in the last few decades has made it one of the main cities of Northeast Italy. The place has managed to keep a lot of its medieval character intact: surrounded by sixteenth-century walls, the old city centre is a place of busy market squares, waterways and silent arcaded streets where one can find towers, churches, palaces and surprising secret gardens. The river running through the city continues on to the Venetian lagoon, flowing past numerous magnificent villas built as country residences for the aristocrats of Venice.

Classes will be conducted at the University of Padua, in the School of Economics and Business Administration, situated at Via Ugo Bassi 1 35131 Padua, Italy.

The course is designed to cover the theoretical foundations and advances in Discrete Choice Models and Experimental Designs, including some of the frontier research, whilst allowing participants to apply this research to current issues, especially regarding matters related to energy and environmental resources.

Morning sessions will cover the overview of the topic at hand and contextualize it in the light of recent advances in the field. These sessions will be held by some of the leading experts that have contributed theoretically and methodologically in the area.

Afternoon sessions are specifically designed to allow participants to engage actively in the construction and analysis of their own choice experiments. The analysis of these experiments will be conducted with the use of some of the most forward-thinking statistical packages currently available in the market, such as NLogit, Latent Gold and NGene selected on the basis of their extensive applicability and ease of use.

Temporary licenses for the software packages used in the course will be given to participants, who are expected to bring their own laptop computers.

Course Outline

The course will be divided in two weeks.

The first week will provide more general, introductory view of the topics. It includes an overview of basic statistical models, random utility theory and choice models, an introduction to the design of statistical experiments, reviewing of statistical packages and an overview on preference heterogeneity.

The second week covers more advanced topics. It encompasses an introduction to advanced discrete choice models, advanced experimental design theory and practice, as well as Best-Worst Scaling cases 1, 2 and 3, along with the modelling of choices for single individuals.

Both weeks include one day in which participants will be able to review case studies and exclusively get hands-on practice with more advanced topics.

Prof. Jordan Louviere is the Executive Director of CenSoC and a professor at the University of Technology, Sydney. Jordan is internationally recognized as an expert in conjoint analysis and consumer choice modeling. He developed and pioneered the design and analysis of choice experiments and, up until 2006, has taught stated preference choice modeling and design of choice experiments with Moshe Ben-Akiva, Dan McFadden (McFadden shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in Economics for his pioneering work in choice modeling theory and applications) and others in the annual summer shortcourse in choice modeling at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Jordan has authored or co-authored more than 150 scholarly publications, including books, book chapters, journal articles and working papers dealing with Consumer Choice Models, Design of Experiments, Discrete Multivariate Analysis, Marketing Research Methods, Consumer Behavior, Marketing Strategy and Planning, Transportation Planning, Demand Forecasting, Brand Equity Analysis, Measurement of Service Quality, Retailing and Consumer Services and Marketing Management, to name a few. He has recently co-authored (with David Hensher and Joffre Swait) Stated Choice Methods: Analysis and Application published by Cambridge University Press (2000). In addition to academic activities, Jordan worked for numerous major clients in Australia, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and the United States, such as Pizza Hut, Colgate, Telstra, Australian Bureau of Transport (and Communications) Economics, National Australia Bank, DEC Corporation, Disney World, AT&T, Marriott Corporation, Texaco, Mazda, Kia Corporation, Qantas Airways, the Boeing Corporation, and many more.

Prof. Riccardo Scarpa is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Choice, University of Technology, Sydney and a Professor of Economics at the Waikato Management School, New Zealand. He has co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed research papers many of which in top academic journals in the field of agricultural, environmental and land economics. His research has contributed mostly to the development of non-market valuation techniques and to the inclusion of behavioural elements in the structural models of choice. In terms of government agencies experience Scarpa acts frequently as a consultant for several UN organizations, the EU commission, the UK Forestry Commission and the NZ electricity authority. He has also a broad experience acting as a consultant for a large number of firms operating in the electricity, transport and water industries, as well as public regulation agencies, especially in water markets.

Dr. Terry Flynn is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Choice. Heading the Social Policy and Economic Evaluation stream at CenSoC, Flynn’s work addresses both methodological and empirical issues in choice modeling. He works in major areas of public policy including: Comparing quality of life, both nationally and internationally, eliciting preferences for public transportation systems, valuing patient preferences and citizen preferences for health care reform, valuing water supplies. He gained considerable experience in choice modeling whilst heading the quantitative work to value quality of life as part of the UK MRC-funded Investigating Choice Experiments for the Preferences of Older People (ICEPOP) program (2001-2009). Flynn has published a number of articles in top ranked journals in the fields of health economics, mathematical psychology and health services research that have been influential in research and policy.

Dr. Christine Eckert is a member of Centre for the Study of Choice (CenSoC) and a lecturer in the School of Marketing and with an extensive background in applied and theoretical aspects of choice modelling and Bayesian statistics. She has particular research interests in the quantitative modelling of consumers' choices as well as in including behavioural aspects into this modelling. Her insights and advancement in statistical techniques have been applied in her consultation with market research companies such as GFK and AC Nielsen and commercial clients including Bose. Christine is a graduate of the Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel (Germany) with a Diploma in Mathematics. She received her Ph.D. in Marketing (Dr.rer.pol) from the Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main (Germany) and she was the recipient of the Best Dissertation Award 2007 of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Frankfurt/Main.

Scientific Committee:
Mara Thiene (Dip. Territorio e Sistemi Agroforestali in University of Padua)
Roberto Caldon (Centro Studi LEVI CASES, Dipartimento Di Ingegneria Elettrica in University of Padua)
Michele Moretto (Dipartimento Di Scienze Economiche 'Marco Fanno' in University of Padua)
 

There are several hotels close to the venue that offer special rates for the workshop. Please mention the agreement with the University of Padua for the special rate. All prices include breakfast.

Hotel Plaza (4 stars)
Corso Milano, 40 - 35139 Padova – Italy
Tel. +39 049 656822 - Fax +39 049 661117
www.plazapadova.it
plaza@plazapadova.it
Singola: € 79,00 IVA Inclusa
Double room for single use (standard) € 99,00
Double room for single use (superior) € 129,00
Double room (standard) € 119,00
Double room (superior) € 149,00

Hotel Toscanelli (4 stars)
Via dell'Arco, 2- 35122 Padova – Italy
Tel. +39 049 66 32 44 - Fax +39 049 87600 25
www.toscanelli.com
majestic@toscanelli.com
Single room: € 96,00 IVA Inclusa, con colazione
Double room for single use € 110,00
Double room € 149,00

Hotel Donatello (4 stars)
Via del Santo, 102/104 - 35123 Padova – Italy
Tel. +39 049 8750634 Fax + 39 049 8750829
www.hoteldonatello.net
info@hoteldonatello.net
Double room for single use € 100
Double room € 160

Hotel Grand'Italia (4 stars)
Corso del Popolo, 81 - 35131 Padova – Italy
Tel. .+39 049 8761111 fax.+39 049 8750850
http://www.hotelgranditalia.it/
info@hotelgranditalia.it
Single room € 85
Double room for single use € 95
Double room € 115

Hotel Galileo (4 stars)
Viale Venezia, 30- 35131 Padova – Italy
Tel.+39 049 7702222 fax +39 049 7800762
http://www.hotelgalileopadova.it/ita/index.asp
info@hotelgalileopadova.it
Double room for single use € 85
Double room € 105

Nh Mantegna Hotel (4 stars)
Via N. Tommaseo, 61- 35131 Padova – Italy
Tel.+39 049 8494111 3 fax +39 049 8494444
http://www.padova-hotel-mantegna.com/
nhmantegna@nh-hotels.com
Double room for single use € 86
Double room € 106

Hotel Giotto (3 stars)
P.le Pontecorvo, 33- 35121 Padova – Italy
Tel. .+39 049 8761845 fax .+39 049 850506
http://www.hotelgiotto.com/
info@hotelgiotto.com
Single room € 65
Double room for single use € 75
Double room € 90

Hotel Belludi37 (2 stars)
Via Luca Belludi, 37 - 35100 Padova - Italy
Tel. +39 049 665633 - Fax +39 049 658685
http://www.belludi37.it/
info@belludi37.it
Single room € 73
Double room for single use € 90
Double room standard € 110
Double room confort € 120
Double room with view € 135

Accomodation service – University of Padua

Guest Lodges - A limited number of rooms are optioned at Residence “Copernico”, located very closed to the School of Economics and Business Administration.
Via Tiepolo 54 35129 Padova
For information and/or reservation please contact Ivan Campagnola by e-mail accommodation@esu.pd.it
http://www.sassa.org/index.php?lang=en
Single room without breakfast 35€
Single room with breakfast 40€
 

1. By plane
There are two airports near Padua.

VENICE: Marco Polo Airport
www.veniceairport.it
From the airport there is a direct coach, SITA. It leaves from the Arrivals. Coach travels from 8:30am c.a. to 10pm c.a., every hour or half an hour. The trip takes approximately one hour. (The coach stops in Padua at the coach station. See the timetable here.)
There is also a taxi service on demand: AirService Buses.

VERONA: Valerio Catullo Airport
http://www.aeroportoverona.it/
There is a shuttle bus to the train station from the Airport. The train from Verona to Padova takes approximately one hour.

2. By train
The official website is http://www.trenitalia.it/

3. By bus
People who arrive at the Marco Polo Airport of Venice can reach Padua using the Sita-Bus Service.

 * Discount applies to institutions enrolling more than one student: 10% for two registrants, 15% for three or more registrants

** The early bird deadline has now passed.
** Final registrations ends on 16 August.

Note:
- Please be advised that only after receiving the transfer funds will your place be secured in the workshop.
- To have your scholarship request considered, please proceed with registration and request payment via direct deposit.
- Please keep your transfer receipt. International transfers can take time and these receipts will be your guarantee to the beginning of the course. If you're not applying for scholarship, we may also be asking you to send us a scanned version of your receipt if we cannot place your deposit in our system.

Further enquiries: paduaworkshop@uts.edu.au

To register:

Individual registrants

Institutions booking two registrants, entitled to 10% discount

Institutions booking three or more registrants, entitled to 15% discount