Assessing the efficiency of Turkish secondary education: Heterogeneity, centralization, and scale diseconomies

This paper begins with a historical overview of the Turkish educational system. We then use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and econometric methods to evaluate the system's efficiency. In doing so we identify scale diseconomies and relate them to underlying structural characteristics of the system. Selected suggestions on improving performance are offered. The roles of heterogeneity and centralization are also highlighted. Heterogeneity is modeled as an undesirable measure. The linkage between indicators of centralization and scale diseconomies was found to be statistically significant. The authors believe this to be the first study that investigates the impact of systemic characteristics such as heterogeneity and centralized structure on educational outcomes for Turkey. Since the country straddles the Middle East and the Balkans, culturally as well as geographically, it may be of interest to other countries in the region.     

A goal programming-discriminant function approach to the estimation of an empirical production function based on DEA results

This paper describes a new frontier estimation procedure which relies on results obtained from Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The paper reviews some of the earlier works in this area and points out potential difficulties with them. It further suggests ways to validate such developments. A procedure is constructed on the basis of a Goal Programming (GP)-Discriminant Function model developed in stages during the 1980s. A numerical example is used to illustrate the proposed procedure. Then, an extensive simulation in which the GP-based procedure is compared to three regression-based techniques is presented. The simulation results clearly indicate the superiority of the proposed technique over the regression alternatives.     

Using data envelopment analysis to measure the efficiency of non-profit organizations: A critical evaluation

This study examines the potential effects of variable set expansion and data variations upon the efficiency scores generated using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. It was found that variable set expansion (either through disaggregation of existing variables or addition of new factors) should produce an upward trend in efficiency scores. In addition, ample opportunity exists for ‘decision-making units’ to increase their efficiency scores through manipulation of reported data. In real-world applications of DEA, these problems must be resolved as much as possible (e.g. increased audit of data) in order to improve DEA's practical usefulness and reliability.     

绩效标杆模型在输配电价管制中的应用

管制者在制定输配电价格时,常采用基于RPI-X公式的价格上限、收益上限、与标尺竞争管制,对于效率因数X的确定,许多国家倾向于应用基于企业的相对效率制定绩效标杆来确定。前沿绩效标杆方法主要运用DEA求出绩效较好的企业,作为参照绩效。本文讨论DEA方法在绩效标杆法中的应用,并用绩效标杆法解决电价管制的问题。     

组织绩效评价的DEA模型及应用

本文应用数据包络分析(DEA)模型C2R对几家大型医院的绩效进行了实证研究,一定程度上弥补了平衡记分法只侧重于对单个医院的组织绩效评价的不足之处,完善了对医院的组织绩效的评价体系,也为提高医院的组织绩效提供了参考依据和数据借鉴。     

评价与优选线路设计方案的DEA方法

根据数据包络分析方法的特点,提出了运用DEA模型对线路设计方案进行评价与优选,阐述了应用的步骤。通过实例验证了方法的可行性与有效性,并可得出非有效方案的缺陷所在,提出改进措施,为决策者提供更多管理信息。     

Closest targets and minimum distance to the Pareto-efficient frontier in DEA

In this paper, we propose a general approach to find the closest targets for a given unit according to a previously specified criterion of similarity. The idea behind this approach is that closer targets determine less demanding levels of operation for the inputs and outputs of the inefficient units to perform efficiently. Similarity can be interpreted as closeness between the inputs and outputs of the assessed unit and the proposed targets, and this closeness can be measured by using either different distance functions or different efficiency measures. Depending on how closeness is measured, we develop several mathematical programming problems that can be easily solved and guarantee to reach the closest projection point on the Pareto-efficient frontier. Thus, our approach leads to the closest targets by means of a single-stage procedure, which is easier to handle than those based on algorithms aimed at identifying all the facets of the efficient frontier.

Efficiency,growth and market power in the banking industry: New approach to efficient structure hypothesis

We extend the work of Homma, Tsutsui, and Uchida (2014) to provide empirical evidence on nexus of relationships in efficient structure (ES) hypothesis. In this framework, we test causality from cost efficiency to bank growth and then from bank growth to market concentration. We apply this approach to banking industry in Association of South East Asian (ASEAN) over the period of 1999–2014. The efficiency scores have been estimated by employing Slack Based Measurements Data Envelopment Analysis (SMB DEA). We apply Two-step system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and Panel Vector Auto Regression (PVAR) to account for endogeneity in estimation models. The results show that cost efficiency enables the banks to grow and obtain higher market share. The resultant growth then leads to higher market concentration/bank market power. There is also some evidence to support for quiet life (QL) hypothesis. Therefore, both ES and QL hypotheses may coexist in ASEAN banking industry.     

Efficiency evaluation in municipal services: an application to the street lighting service in Spain

Efficiency evaluation is very important in the municipal realm because of its impact on the people’s standard of living. However, in most cases the value of public output is hardly significant, and therefore measurement is necessarily limited to estimating technical efficiency, which is calculated using physical inputs and outputs. A major part of municipal services can be provided through different types of public management. This plurality of options lends greater relevance to the evaluation. This paper analyzes efficiency in the public street lighting service in Spanish towns, by means of DEA methodology, pursuing two objectives: to estimate the technical efficiency achieved and to discover whether differences in efficiency can be explained by the type of management, that has been chosen, whether public or private. The results of the analysis allow us to confirm that there is a significant relationship between the variables defined as inputs into the process and efficiency. However, the relationship is not very significant for the variables considered as outputs, in some cases. It was also detected that the factors defining the characteristics of the environment and the type of management, whether public or private, do not have a statistically significant impact on efficiency levels.

The Application of Mathematical Programming Approaches to Estimating Container Port Production Efficiency

Container terminal production is both an important and complicated element in the contemporary global economy. This paper aims to evaluate the efficiency of the world’s most important container ports and terminals using the two alternative techniques of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Free Disposal Hull (FDH) model. The results give an insight into the current efficiency ranking of the world’s major container ports and terminals. They also confirm expectations that the available mathematical programming methodologies lead to different results and that appropriate variable definition of input and output factors is a crucial element in meaningful applications of DEA and FDH. It is also concluded that the availability of panel data, rather than cross-sectional data would greatly improve the validity of the efficiency estimates derived from all the mathematical programming techniques applied.JEL Classification:C61, D24, E23, L23, L25, L92     

Evaluation and monitoring of community youth prevention programs using a robust productivity index

Evidence-based prevention and intervention programs for youth behavioral and mental problems have been implemented by many local community program providers. Due to the differences among communities in resource availability and the demand for services, however, policymakers and program practitioners require ways of measuring organizational efficiency in terms of resource commitment and improvement in individual outcomes. In this paper, we propose a robust productivity index for monitoring managerial performance and detecting exceptions in dynamic environments. Robust productivity bounds are constructed to identify innovators who make a technical shift. The approach is illustrated with panel data on youth outcomes from a selected multi-site community prevention program between the fiscal years 2010 and 2015. The results suggest that our approach not only permits classification of the innovators, but also recognizes patterns of change in productivity.     

绿色供应链模式下的供应商选择

首先介绍了绿色供应链的内涵,然后在传统供应链供应商选择理论的基础上,根据环境管理标准（ISO14001系列）,经过扩展而建立了一种新的基于绿色供应链的供应商选择评价指标体系,将绿色信息作为绿色供应商评价的主要衡量指标之一;并结合传统数据包络分析法（DEA）和层次分析法AHP算法的优点,根据指标体系的特点采用DEA／AHP综合评价法．最后给出一个算例进行说明,为绿色供应商的决策提供了理论依据。     

Research performance evaluation of Chinese university: A non-homogeneous network DEA approach

Performance evaluation for universities or research institutions has become a hot topic in recent years. However, the previous works rarely investigate the multiple departments’ performance of a university, and especially, none of them consider the non-homogeneity among the universities’ departments. In this paper, we develop data envelopment analysis (DEA) models to evaluate the performance of general non-homogeneous decision making units (DMUs) with two-stage network structures and then apply them to a university in China. Specifically, the first stage is faculty research process, and the second stage is student research process. We first spit each DMU (i.e. department) into a combination of several mutually exclusive maximal input subgroups and output subgroups in terms of their homogeneity in both stages. Then an additive DEA model is proposed to evaluate the performance of the overall efficiency of the non-homogeneous DMUs with two-stage network structure. By analyzing the empirical results, some implications are provided to support the university to promote the research performance of each department as well as the whole university.     

Marginal Rates and Elasticities of Substitution with Additive Models in DEA

Marginal rates and elasticities of substitution are derived from the optimal slack values obtained from modified versions of additive DEA models. Projection formulas are used to ensure that all points are on the efficient frontier as required for conformance with assumptions in micro-economics. The models used differ from standard versions in that slack values are allowed to be negative as well as positive in these additive models. This makes movement possible on efficiency frontiers, where improvement in some inputs or outputs requires worsening other inputs or outputs. A new definition is therefore introduced in which efficiency is attained only if the value of the worsenings is exactly offset by the value of the improvements. This includes, but is not restricted to, the case in which all slacks must be zero for full attainment of efficiency—as in standard versions of additive models.     

The geographical efficiency of education and research: The ranking of U.S. universities

This paper proposes to study the American efficiency of educational diffusion and research productivity following two distinctions: urban vs. rural areas and public vs. private universities. Following this geographical consideration, knowledge diffusion seems to be homogeneous over the American territory, whereas research productivity is more heterogeneous: American research efficiency decreased of 7% points, due to some rural university localizations. Universities in urban areas favor educational quality through high student selection criteria, contrary to those located in more rural areas. Third, public universities present higher educational efficiency, in favoring educational quality over research productivity: the lesser research efficiency of public institutions comes from difficulties in the management of several campuses, by comparison with the private institutions which are all single-campus.     

The moderating effect of innovation on the relationship between environmental and financial performance: Evidence from high emitters in Australia

This study examines whether environmental-related innovation moderates the association between environmental and financial performance measured respectively as carbon emissions and return on assets (ROA). The sample comprises 119 companies subject to Australia's National Greenhouse Energy Reporting Act (NGER) for the period 2009–2017. The results show that environmental innovation positively moderates the relationship between environmental performance and financial performance. The findings also imply that the impact of environmental innovation in improving environmental performance is observable with a 1-year lag. The results are robust to the alternative financial performance measures of Tobin's Q and Altman's Z score. The findings have important implications for company managers and policymakers and provide useful information on innovation's role in enhancing environmental and financial performance.     

基于等效益面的大庆油田企业科技进步贡献率测算研究

科技进步贡献率是反映科技进步作用的一项综合指标。本文在"等效益面法"原理的基础上,利用Lingo软件计算了大庆油田有限责任公司C-D生产函数的资本和劳动力要素的产出弹性系数,进而测算2005~2008年间的科技进步贡献率。计算结果表明,大庆油田的科技进步贡献率呈现逐年上升的趋势,均值达到60%以上,超过国家40%的水平。科技在弥补自然递减率、保证原油产量的稳定方面发挥着越来越重要的作用。     

Measuring the impact of restructuring and country-specific factors on the efficiency of post-crisis East Asian banking systems: Integrating DEA with SFA

This paper investigates the relationship between post-crisis bank restructuring, country-specific conditions and bank efficiency in Asian countries from 1997 to 2001 using an approach that integrates data envelopment analysis and stochastic frontier analysis. We focus on restructuring measures related to bank ownership. The results indicate that although domestic mergers produce more efficient banks, overall, restructuring does not lead to more efficient banking systems. Banking system inefficiencies are mostly attributed to country-specific conditions, particularly, high interest rates, concentrated markets and economic development.     

基于DEA-Tobit模型的上海医疗资源整合效率分析

本文以2007年至2010年上海市39家二级医院为样本,利用数据包络分析(DEA)和Tobit回归模型分析参与整合对医院效率变化的影响及其主导因素。结果发现在2010年整合组医院和非整合组医院的纯效率值产生显著差异。从投入要素的作用机制角度考虑,以2010年各医院效率值为因变量,高级职称医师比例、10万元以上设备比例以及是否整合为虚拟变量作为自变量,通过Tobit回归模型认定高级职称医生的比例提高是其效率提升的关键因素。