An improved radiation model and its applicability for understanding commuting patterns in Hungary

Varga, Levente and Tóth, Géza and Néda, Zoltán (2017): An improved radiation model and its applicability for understanding commuting patterns in Hungary. Published in: Regional Statistics , Vol. 6, No. 2 (February 2017): pp. 27-38.

Abstract

Several empirical models aimed at describing human mobility have been proposed in the past. Most of them are based on an unjustified analogy, with a focus on gravity and physical vector or scalar fields. Recently, however, statistical physicists introduced a new category of models that are theoretically motivated by a few simple and reasonable socio-economic assumptions. The Radiation Model (Simini et al. 2012) and the Radiation Model with Selection (Simini–Maritan–Néda 2013) are such successful approaches. Here, we introduce a new version of the radiation model, the Travel Cost Optimized Radiation Model, and test its applicability for describing the commuting patterns in Hungary. We compare critically the performance of this model with the results of the previous radiation type models.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: human mobility models commuters data population income density
• Subjects: J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J6 - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers > J61 - Geographic Labor Mobility ; Immigrant Workers; R - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R11 - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes; R - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R14 - Land Use Patterns

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