Nested Logit Discrete Choice Model

The Nested Logit model is a discrete choice framework that groups mutually exclusive alternatives into hierarchical nests, allowing correlated unobserved utilities within each nest while maintaining independence across nests. Introduced formally by Ben-Akiva and Lerman (1985) and grounded in McFadden's Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) theory, it extends the standard Multinomial Logit by relaxing the restrictive Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives assumption within predefined groups of similar alternatives.