Using DEA for measuring teachers’ performance and the impact on students’ outcomes: evidence for Spain

This research contributes to the ongoing debate about differences in teachers’ performance. We introduce a new methodology that combines production frontier and impact evaluation insights that allows using DEA as an identification strategy of a treatment with high and low quality teachers within schools to assess their performance. We use a unique database of primary schools in Spain that, for every school, supplies information on two classrooms at 4th grade where students and teachers were randomly assigned into the two classrooms. We find considerable differences in teachers’ efficiency across schools with significant effects on students’ achievement. In line with previous findings, we find that neither teacher experience nor academic training explains teachers’ efficiency. Conversely, being a female teacher, having worked five or more years in the same school or having smaller class sizes positively affects the performance of teachers.     

Facilitating co-production in public services: management implications from a systematic literature review

Drawing on the results of a systematic literature review of empirical studies, this paper sheds light on six broad factors that facilitate the initiation and implementation of co-production in public services. The factors are classified into two overarching categories: organizational factors, including organizational arrangements, professional roles, and managerial tools; and procedural factors, including participant recruitment, participant preparation, and process design. For each set of factors, the paper provides a series of management implications. It concludes with additional observations for practice.     

The Effect of Web-Based Information Availability on Consumers' Processing and Attitudes

Most companies use their websites to promote themselves, their products, and their services; these sites provide ever-increasing amounts of information. This paper examines the effects of the amount of information provided on a website on consumers' processing and attitudes. We propose that the amount of information has differential effects on consumers' information processing and attitudes. The influence of need for cognition is also examined. In our study, we create an experimental website with three versions, with each version providing different amounts of information. Results indicate that while information processing diminishes under high levels of information, attitudes remain favorable. In addition, the individual's need for cognition moderates the influence of the amount of information on both consumer information processing and attitudes.     

Some Like it Non-Financial …

Abstract

Over the last decades the process of modernization in the public sector has fostered the adoption of new accounting techniques, such as accrual accounting and non-financial performance measurement systems. The purpose of this paper is to test hypotheses on the different perceptions of politicians and managers as to the importance of performance information. Our findings suggest that politicians’ and managers’ views on the importance of performance information are more similar than expected. They also show that accounting innovations are in some cases embraced with enthusiasm (non-financial performance), whereas in other cases they are hardly recognized (e.g. accrual accounting).     

Contextualizing politicians’ uses of accounting information: reassurance and ammunition

This paper explores the use of accounting information by local government politicians. The authors examined three very typical council decisions in both their policy formulation and decision-making stages, which had different levels of political conflict. During policy formulation, accounting information was used mostly to provide answers—improving understanding. At the decision-making stage, the level of conflict influenced the quantity of information used, as well as the way it was used. Under low political conflict, accounting information primarily provided reassurance, whereas when there were conflicts between majority and opposition politicians, accounting information was used to (de)legitimize political positions and decisions. This paper is one of the first to contextualize politicians’ use of accounting information and has important implications for practice and future research.     

An innovation activity model for Very Small Entities in the software sector: an empirical study

Innovation management is a subdiscipline of management that studies the rules that govern the generation, diffusion, adoption of innovation, and relationships between innovation inputs and outputs. A great number of innovative products and services depend on software. In the software industry, many small entities act as subcontractors that develop components that are later integrated into larger industrial systems. However, these small entities do not have the resources needed to support long-term R&D activities and they also lack innovation management models which makes the planning and execution of innovation management difficult. These same small enterprises face similar challenges in the software development process. However, the ISO/IEC 29110 standard provides small enterprises with a clear path in implementing a systematic software development process. The planning and execution of innovation management activities may also benefit from a similar approach. This article describes an innovation activity model suited to the characteristics of small entities whose main stream of revenue is software development. Using the existing literature, standards, and the practical experience of companies with a successful history of developing innovative software-based products, this study identifies the activities and practices that lead to the development of innovative products. Interfaces between innovation management activities, software development processes, and work products are also identified.     

Does preschool education attendance matter? Evidence from a natural experiment in Spain

The non-compulsory and non-free of charge character of preschool education level before 3 years old in Spain raises some doubts about the exogenous nature of this variable. This article provides new evidence about the impact of preschool years on educational outcomes by exploiting a peculiar Spanish database that supplies information on two classrooms at fourth grade in primary schools where students were randomly allocated into each group. Using an identification strategy that reproduces a natural experiment, we find that belonging to the group with more average years of preschool education significantly and positively impacts on fourth-grade students’ average outcomes. Particularly, an increase of one standard deviation in the difference in years of preschool attendance results in an increase of 0.16 (0.13) standard deviations in the group achievement for mathematics (reading). In view of the importance of preschool education and considering that preschool attendance before 3 years old is related with socio-economic variables, we conclude that extending free preschool education to the 2-year-old age group in Spain should be considered especially for students in families with less favourable backgrounds.