What determines the efficiency of Australian mining companies?

We examine the firm‐specific determinants of technical efficiency in Australian mining companies using data envelopment analysis (DEA). To do so, we employ panel data sourced from individual mining companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) over the period 2010–2014. To ensure valid statistical inference in the presence of serial correlation between DEA efficiency scores, we apply Simar and Wilson's two‐stage bootstrap method. We find that ownership concentration, firm size, firm age, product portfolio, product diversification and growth status significantly contribute to efficiency gains. However, other firm‐specific factors, such as capacity utilisation, financial risk and overseas operations appear to have limited impact on the technical efficiency of mining firms.     

Technical,allocative and economic efficiencies in swine production in Hawaii: a comparison of parametric and nonparametric approaches

Technical, allocative and economic efficiency measures arc derived for a sample of swine producers in Hawaii using the parametric stochastic efficiency decomposition technique and nonparametric data envelopment analysis (DEA). Efficiency measures obtained from the two frontiei approaches are compared. Firm-specific factors affecting productive efficiencies are also analyzed. Finally, swine producers, potential for reducing cost through improved efficiency is also examined. Under the specification of variable returns to scale (VRS), the mean technical, allocative and economic efficiency indices are 75.9%, 75.8% and 57.1%, respectively, for the parametric approach and 75.9%, 80.3% and 60.3% for DEA; while for the constant returns to scale (CRS) they are 74.5%, 73.9% and 54.7%, respectively, for the parametric approach and 64.3%, 71.4% and 45.7% for DEA. Thus the results from both approaches reveal considerable inefficiencies in swine production in Hawaii. The removal of potential outliers increases the technical efficiencies in the parametric approach anil allocative efficiencies in DEA, but, overall, contrary to popular belief, the results obtained from DEA are found to be more robust than those from the parametric approach. The estimated mean technical and economic efficiencies obtained from the parametric technique are higher than those from DEA for CRS models but quite similar for VRS models, while allocative efficiencies are generally higher in DEA. However, the efficiency rankings of the sample producers based on the two approaches are highly correlated, with the highest correlation being achieved for the technical efficiency rankings under CRS. Based on mean comparison and rank correlation analyses, the return to scale assumption is found to be crucial in assessing the similarities or differences in efficiency measures obtained from the two approaches. Analysis of the role of various firm-specific factors on productive efficiency shows that farm size has strong positive effects on efficiency levels. Similarly, farms producing market hogs arc-more efficient than those producing feeder pigs. Based on these results, by operating at the efficient frontier the sample swine producers would be able to reduce their production costs by 38-46% depending upon the method and returns to scale considered.     

Event‐specific data envelopment models and efficiency analysis*

Most, if not all, production technologies are stochastic. This article demonstrates how data envelopment analysis (DEA) methods can be adapted to accommodate stochastic elements in a state‐contingent setting. Specifically, we show how observations on a random input, not under the control of the producer and not known at the time that variable input decisions are made, can be used to partition the state space in a fashion that permits DEA models to approximate an event‐specific production technology. The approach proposed in this article uses observed data on random inputs and is easy to implement. After developing the event‐specific DEA representation, we apply it to a data set for Western Australian barley production data. Our results highlight the need for acknowledging stochastic elements in efficiency analysis.     

An application of IDEA to wheat farming efficiency

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a nonparametric approach to evaluating the relative efficiency of decision making units (DMUs) that use multiple inputs to produce multiple outputs. An assumption underlying DEA is that all the data assume the form of specific numerical values. In some applications, however, the data may be imprecise. That is, all the input and output data cannot be exactly obtained due to the existence of uncertainty. They are only known to lie within specified intervals. A DEA model with imprecise data or, more compactly, an Imprecise DEA (IDEA) model proposed in this article to evaluate efficiency for each DMU. The article is illustrated with an application to Iranian wheat producer provinces.     

Ownership,autonomy, incentives and efficiency: Evidence from the forest product processing industry in China

Using enterprise-level data from China's Northeast-Inner Mongolia state-owned forest area for the year 2004, this paper investigates the technical efficiency of forest product processing mills and the relationship between institutional and managerial practices and efficiency. A two-stage procedure proposed by Simar and Wilson (2007) is adopted. In the first stage, a bootstrapped data envelopment analysis (DEA) model is used to compute the efficiency scores. In the second stage, the bootstrapped DEA scores are estimated over a set of mills’ institutional and managerial systems and other characteristics with a bootstrapped truncated regression. The results show that there is a wide dispersion in the technical efficiency among mills. Private ownership, autonomy and mill size have statistically significant positive impacts on efficiency. These results provide support for the ongoing reform and implications for future development of this area.     

不同兼业程度农户耕地利用行为及其效率研究——基于甘肃、青海两省部分市县的实证分析

运用农户模型构建兼业对耕地利用行为及其效率的分析框架,在分离性成立的前提下,以农户调研数据为基础,利用分组比较、数据包络等方法分析不同兼业类型农户之间的耕地利用行为和效率的差异。研究结果表明:兼业类型对农户耕地利用方式和行为选择有显著的影响,不同类型农户的投入、管理行为和土地规模存在较大差异。总体来说,兼业农户的资本投入、劳动投入等高于纯农户,在兼业户中兼业户Ⅱ高于兼业户Ⅰ;不同的耕地利用行为又导致了耕地利用效率的差异,在分离性成立的条件下,数据包络分析计算出的技术效率表现为纯农户大于兼业户Ⅰ,且两者均大于兼业户Ⅱ。     

基于DEA-Malmquist的沿海港口转型升级测度及趋势研究

从港口全要素生产效率视角出发,采用Malmquist全要素生产率指数对传统数据包络分析(DEA)方法进行改进,克服了传统DEA方法不能处理不同时期面板数据的缺点,通过构建基于规模报酬可变的DEA-Malmquist模型,可以掌握港口转型升级程度及发展趋势。以山东沿海港口为实例,利用DEA-Malmquist模型进行分析,结果表明:山东省沿海港口的总体效率在2014—2018年整体呈上升趋势;各个港口发展并不平衡;全省港口的Malmquist生产力指数虽然受到了规模效率的制约,但仍呈上升趋势。最后,提出了山东沿海港口转型升级发展的对策建议。     

Measuring technical efficiency of dairy farms with imprecise data: a fuzzy data envelopment analysis approach

This article integrates fuzzy set theory in the data envelopment analysis (DEA) framework to compute technical efficiency scores when input and output data are imprecise. The underlying assumption in conventional DEA is that input and output data are measured with precision. However, production agriculture takes place in an uncertain environment, and, in some situations, input and output data may be imprecise. We present an approach of measuring efficiency when data are known to lie within specified intervals and empirically illustrate this approach using a group of 29 dairy producers in Pennsylvania. Compared to the conventional DEA scores that are point estimates, the computed fuzzy efficiency scores are interval bound allowing the decision maker to trace the performance of a decision‐making unit at different possibility levels.     

基于DEA方法的中国农业水资源利用效率研究

[目的]以我国各省市2008~2015年农业水资源利用效率为研究对象,探究我国农业水资源利用效率的规律与特点,并基于此提出促进农业水资源合理利用的建议。[方法]主要采用了文献研究法、统计分析法和数据包络分析(DEA)法。通过文献搜集我国各省市2008~2015年与农业水资源利用相关的数据,构建DEA模型,对我国近年来农业水资源利用效率进行评价。[结果]2008~2015年,我国农业水资源利用效率在0.80上下浮动。各省市农业水资源利用效率随时间变化趋势不同。甘肃和上海的农业水资源利用效率涨幅最大,年增长率分别为4.39%和2.74%;山西、江西以及陕西省的农业水资源利用效率整体趋于下降;浙江、湖南以及陕西和新疆的农业水资源利用效率有先上升后下降的特点,表现出明显的波动。此外,农业水资源利用效率区域分化明显。东部地区农业水资源利用效率一般高于0.80,中部地区位于0.60~0.80,西部地区农业水资源利用效率一般低于0.60。[结论]2008~2015年,我国农业水资源利用效率表现出一定的时间差异性和空间差异性。时间差异性:我国农业水资源利用效率一直处于较高水平并呈现逐年增长趋势,不同省份的农业水资源利用效率随时间变动趋势各异。空间差异性:东部地区农业水资源利用效率最高,中东部地区农业水资源利用效率甚至达到了最优,中部地区其次,西部省区农业水资源利用效率最低。农业水资源利用效率受当地政策、经济发展水平、农业发展水平、水资源总量和人口压力等因素影响严重,今后应针对不同地区采取不同措施解决实际问题。     

Technical efficiency and impact of environmental regulations in farrow-to-finish swine production in Taiwan

This article demonstrates how technical efficiency and the impact of environmental regulations of Taiwanese farrow‐to‐finish swine production can be estimated in the presence of undesirable outputs. The issue of measuring technical efficiencies while considering undesirable outputs has been addressed by past studies. But the proper method of including undesirable outputs has always been a subject of debate. This article develops a data envelopment analysis (DEA)‐based model that includes undesirable outputs. The technologies of desirable output production and undesirable output control are considered simultaneously. This allows one to transform undesirable output into desirable output, whereby a traditional Shephard distance function can be used to measure technical efficiencies. An approach to measuring the impacts due to environmental regulations is then derived. Empirical results show that larger farms are more technically efficient than small‐sized farms, but no clear conclusions can be reached for the measures of regulatory impact among farms with different sizes. On average, the sample farms incurred an opportunity cost due to environmental regulations equivalent to 9.8% of market value. Opportunity costs rise with efficiency.     

基于辽宁上市公司的企业经营效率研究

选取辽宁省2018年末在沪深两市上市的45家公司为样本,利用因子分析法将多个投入和产出指标提取为若干个具有明确经济意义的公共因子,再运用数据包络分析法(DEA),从综合技术效率、纯技术效率和规模效率三方面对45家上市公司的经营效率进行分析。结果表明,辽宁省上市公司经营效率整体较低;多数企业处于纯技术效率无效和规模报酬递减阶段,存在管理水平不高、资产利用率不高、生产要素投入冗余等问题;纯技术效率无效是导致综合技术效率无效的主要原因,并由此提出改进建议。     

Measuring financial performance on dairy farms

The motivation for this paper was to improve the information provided by the extension service for dairy farming. Databases as the Norwegian Dairy Financial Recording (NDFR) are commonly used for comparative analysis of farms. In the present paper, the problems related to these comparisons are discussed. Four different measures of financial performance are presented. The measures are; the gross margin, extended gross margin, and two different efficiency indexes based on use of data envelopment analysis (DEA). All four measures have advantages and disadvantages. The two gross margins are suitable for ranking farms when evaluating the impact of operative management variables, e.g., disease and miscellaneous welfare enhancing inputs on performance. However, efficiency indexes, which are estimated as ratios of actual and maximum output, given inputs, are more suitable when evaluating the impact of strategic management variables, e.g., concentrate or roughage per litre milk produced on performance.     

Economic versus environmental improvement potentials of Danish pig farms

This article demonstrates how economic and environmental improvement potentials of Danish pig farms can be estimated using Data envelopment analysis (DEA). To avoid some of the problems associated with the definition of undesirable outputs, environmental variables are included as nutrients applied with manure and nutrients removed with the crops. These environmental variables are combined with a series of economic variables, including the costs of fertilizer. Furthermore, subvector efficiency and a two‐step analysis are used in order to consider economic and environmental (technical) efficiency separately. The empirical results show considerable improvement potentials, especially on the environmental variables. Sensitivity studies validate that these results are robust to possible uncertainties in the measurement of the environmental variables.     

港口体制改革前后中国港口效率演化研究

论文利用数据包络分析法(DEA)对我国主要港口2000~2010年间的经营效率进行分析。结果表明,港口体制改革之后我国港口吞吐量增长迅速,但运营效率变化并不十分明显。通过生产率指数分析和效率改进分析发现,港口平均综合技术效率的变化并不明显,并且实际投入值远远大于有效投入值。这说明港口体制改革之后,我国港口行业出现了无序竞争、港口建设规模不合理、投入拥挤等问题。最后有针对性地提出了改善我国港口营运效率的政策建议。     

Evaluation of the Italian transport infrastructures: A technical and economic efficiency analysis

By applying a DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) framework and Tobit analysis, this paper aims to measure 32 Italian airports’ technical efficiency and investigate how several characteristics impact on their productivity and sustainability. Our findings show that some Italian hubs are technically efficient, although smaller airports that are dominated by low-cost carriers prove to be not least productive. Another conclusion of this paper is that efficiency and environmental impact is independent of an airport’s size, although the size matters in determining an airport’s superior performance. This article highlights how the Italian public shareholder’s system became decisive to increase efficiency in small airports due to the lack of private financing.     

我国农林高等院校科技资源配置效率动态分析

基于2001-2011年我国高等农林院校的相关统计数据,运用DEA方法对我国高等农林院校的科技资源配置效率进行测度,结果表明：我国高等农林院校科技资源配置效率总体水平较高,但是不同的年份存在由于科技经费投入不足导致的资源配置效率不合理的现象。提出了提高我国农林高等院校的科技资源配置效率需要市场、政府和社会三种配置方式相互联动的建议。     

基于DEA模型的土地整理规划方案比选研究

研究目的:构建科学的评价模型,比较土地整理项目不同的规划方案,为规划方案的选择提供依据。研究方法:数据包络分析方法,层次分析法,实例验证法。研究结果:对重庆市偏岩镇土地整理项目3个不同规划方案采用带AHP约束锥的DEA方法计算出其效率值分别为:0.95871、0.96881、1,方案3为相对有效方案。研究结论:带AHP约束锥的DEA方法把传统DEA方法对输入输出数据的客观分析与决策者的主观偏好结合起来,应用于土地整理项目规划方案的比选,是一种可行的方法。     

江苏省城乡统筹效率评价及其空间溢出效应研究

[目的]通过测度江苏省各市城乡统筹效率,解释其空间溢出效应,提出促进城乡统筹效率提升的建议,以期为江苏省改变城乡统筹发展方式,提高城乡统筹发展水平提供参考。[方法]基于2015年江苏省13个地级市的横截面数据,运用数据包络分析(DEA)评价其城乡统筹效率,并通过探索性空间数据分析(ESDA)解释其空间溢出效应。[结果]江苏省各市城乡统筹效率普遍不高,仅有无锡、镇江和宿迁达到DEA有效状态;江苏省城乡统筹效率空间差异显著,呈苏南苏北苏中的分布格局;江苏省各市城乡统筹技术效率平均值高于规模效率平均值,城乡统筹规模效率低是制约城乡统筹综合效率的主要因素;无锡、镇江和宿迁的城乡统筹处于规模报酬不变阶段,南京、泰州、盐城、淮安和连云港的城乡统筹处于规模报酬递增阶段,而苏州、常州、南通、扬州和徐州的城乡统筹处于规模报酬递减阶段;江苏省各市城乡统筹效率存在弱空间正溢出效应。[结论]江苏省各市在城乡统筹发展中应加强技术创新,优化城乡空间布局,以促进城乡统筹效率的提升。     

Reducing Pesticide Use and Pesticide Impact by Productivity Growth: the Case of Dutch Arable Farming

This paper employs a dynamic Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model to measure the composition of productivity growth of pesticides and the environmental impacts of pesticides. The application focuses on panel data of Dutch arable farms over the period 2003–07. A bootstrap regression model is used to explain farmers' performance, providing empirical evidence of the impact of producer‐specific characteristics and environmental factors. The results show that Dutch arable farms have substantial inefficiency in the use of pesticides and high pesticide environmental inefficiency, and appear rather unconcerned about the environmental impacts of their current pesticide use decisions on next period's production environment.     

A Parametric Approach to Estimating Eco‐Efficiency

The concept of eco‐efficiency is becoming increasingly popular as a tool to capture economic and environmental aspects of agricultural production. The literature to date has exclusively used the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach to measure producers’ eco‐efficiency. We show that it can also be estimated using a Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) approach. Our approach not only allows controlling for random noise in the data but also permits an analysis of the potential substitutability between environmental pressures. We provide an empirical application of our model to data on a sample of Spanish dairy farms.