The Estimation of Multinomial Probit Models: A New Calibration Algorithm

Abstract

This study proposes the estimation of Multinomial Probit models using Mendell-Elston's approximation to the cumulative multivariate normal for the computation of choice probabilities. The accuracy of this numerical approximation in computing probabilities is compared with other procedures used in existing calibration programs. Finally, the proposed estimation procedure is tested on simulated choice data.