Generalized Extreme Value models for count data: Application to worker telecommuting frequency choices

Count models are used for analyzing outcomes that can only take non-negative integer values with or without any pre-specified large upper limit. However, count models are typically considered to be different from random utility models such as the multinomial logit (MNL) model. In this paper, Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) models that are consistent with the Random Utility Maximization (RUM) framework and that subsume standard count models including Poisson, Geometric, Negative Binomial, Binomial, and Logarithmic models as special cases were developed. The ability of the Maximum Likelihood (ML) inference approach to retrieve the parameters of the resulting GEV count models was examined using synthetic data. The simulation results indicate that the ML estimation technique performs quite well in terms of recovering the true parameters of the proposed GEV count models. Also, the models developed were used to analyze the monthly telecommuting frequency decisions of workers. Overall, the empirical results demonstrate superior data fit and better predictive performance of the GEV models compared to standard count models.