A Parametric Distance Function Approach for Malmquist Productivity Index Estimation

Malmquistindexes of productivity are generally estimated using index numbertechniques or non-parametric frontier approaches. The aim ofthis paper is to show that Malmquist indexes can be estimatedin a similar way using parametric-deterministic or parametric-stochasticfrontier approaches. To allow a multi-output multi-input technologyand for technical change in production, we adopt an output distancefunction which is specified in a translog form. We then showthat using the estimated parameters, several radial distancefunctions can be calculated and combined in order to estimateand decompose the productivity index. Finally, this approachis applied to a panel of Spanish insurance companies. The mainresults confirm those generally obtained for financial services:very low rates of growth and technical change in spite of a rapidderegulation process and expansion of activity.     

The Decomposition of Malmquist Productivity Indexes

Two different Malmquist productivity indexes have been proposed. One I call partially oriented because it is either output- or input-oriented, and the other is simultaneously output- and input-oriented. The partially oriented Malmquist index owes some of its popularity to the fact that it has been decomposed to isolate various sources of productivity change. Conversely, the simultaneously oriented Malmquist index has not achieved popularity in part because it has not been decomposed. In this paper I evaluate alternative decompositions of the partially oriented Malmquist index, and I obtain a new decomposition of the simultaneously oriented Malmquist index. This new decomposition leads me to conclude that the latter index is deserving of greater attention than it has received to date.     

Measurement of Productivity Changes: Two Malmquist Index Approaches

The adjacent Malmquist productivity index is compared to the more recently suggested base period Malmquist productivity index. The two index approaches are evaluated with respect to base period dependency, the circular test, and with respect to a set of additional classical index tests. In addition it is shown that the base period index is independent of base period if and only if the marginal rate of substitution of inputs is independent of time. Finally, the adjacent and the base period indexes are put through a Monte Carlo (bootstrap) test to see if they yield similar results when applied to a panel of Swedish pharmacy data.     

基于Malmquist指数模型的我国银行业效率测评

文章运用Malmquist指数模型测算分析了2016-2019年我国31个省市银行业的全要素生产率以及其分解指标技术效率和技术进步的具体情况。研究发现:综合来看,近年来我国各省市银行业全要素生产率处于增势,其中技术进步水平的增长发挥了主要作用;分年度看,2017年各省市银行全要素生产率增长率极差最大,唯一的技术效率下降情况也发生在2017年;按各省市银行发展势头看,北京、河南、吉林、上海的银行全要素生产率由增转降,浙江的银行全要素生产率一直在降;按地区看,西南、西北、东北等地区银行业全要素生产率增长更为显著。据此,本文就进一步更好地促进银行业长远发展提出些许建议。     

基于SBM和Malmquist指数的我国物流业能源效率评价

基于2003-2017年我国30个省(市、区)的面板数据,通过SBM模型和Malmquist指数,从静态和动态两个视角分析我国物流业能源效率。研究发现,就静态角度而言,我国物流业能源总体效率为0.62,还处于较低的水平,各地区之间差异明显,在观测期内东部沿海地区一直处于全国领先水平,西南地区效率最低。从动态角度来看,我国Malmquist指数均值为0.988,说明物流能源全要素生产率下降了1.2%,下降的原因是技术效率与技术进步共同作用的结果;全国八大区域中除北部沿海、东部沿海和南部沿海的Malmquist指数呈上升趋势外,其余地区均呈现不同程度的下降,技术进步是导致区域差异的主要原因。为此,提出优化物流产业结构、提高物流技术水平、因地制宜出台相关物流政策等措施,可进一步提升我国物流业能源效率。     

DEA-based Malmquist productivity indexes for understanding courts reform

Currently there is no clear empirical evidence as to which the most appropriate reform to improve national judicial systems might be, i.e., whether it is better to implement a policy which focuses on judges and their incentives or, alternatively, a policy aimed at reorganizing the courts' structure.The judicial system, like many other sectors of the public administration, is an industry producing a specific good – justice – and, accordingly, it can be studied by using the customary tools of production theory. The paper applies the two-stage analysis by Simar and Wilson (2007) and the Malmquist index to the judiciary, in order to better understand the impact of a specific policy on the productivity of the Italian tax judiciary.The results highlight strong heterogeneity among courts, depending on their geographical location, with North-West and North-East of Italy as the most efficient macro areas. Moreover, by decomposing the index into change in efficiency and change in technology, this work provides a further glimpse into the judiciary's production organization. Interestingly, the evidence shows that a reduction in the number of active sections has had a negative impact on the overall performance of the courts (i.e., a negative change in efficiency of 0.0103, with a p-value < 0.01), although the reorganization of the residual sections has possibly determined a more effective use of the remaining resources (i.e., a positive change in technology of 0.00285, with a p-value < 0.01). Hence, technology does not fully replace the productive role of the judges.The overall results suggest that adjudication is a labor-intensive activity and, although fine-tuning their organization can indeed enhance the productivity of the courts, the role of the judges still remains pivotal. There might indeed be ways to increase the efforts made by judges and a suitable policy should create incentives aimed at boosting their productivity.     

Productivity and efficiency of state-owned enterprises in China

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the variations in SOE efficiency and productivity from the perspectives of macroeconomic fluctuations and systematic reform in China during 1986–2003. We use Data Envelopment Analysis to measure SOE efficiency. Subsequently, we use the Malmquist Index of Productivity change to measure productivity growth. The empirical results show that SOE efficiency and productivity exhibited obvious improvements during periods of strong systematic reform and a prosperous economy. The systematic reform after 1998 had a clear-cut impact on SOE performance.

Some Remarks on Productivity and its Decompositions

This paper provides a brief history of the Malmquist productivity index and its decomposition. Theoretical and empirical issues related to the index are discussed along with directions for future research.     

我国技术效率、技术进步与生产率区域差异的实证研究

本文用非参数Malmquist指数方法研究了我国全要素生产率的增长状况及其区域差异,并将其分解为技术进步和技术效率,同时采用增长回归法对我国地区之间TFP、技术效率、科技进步的差异进行了检验。研究表明:1994-2007年间我国全要素生产率年均增长率达到1%,主要得益于技术进步水平的提高,技术效率总体上呈现下滑趋势;我国各省市区的科技进步、技术效率、TFP变化呈现出较为明显的差异,其中TFP和科技进步变化差异最为明显,而技术效率变化差异不大。     

Malmquist indices of productivity growth for Islamic and conventional banks in Malaysia

This paper studies the total factor productivity （TFP） of banks in Malaysia with the emphasis on comparing the relative productivities of Islamic and Conventional banks. The Malmquist index approach is used to decompose productivity growth into technical efficiency and technological change. The productivity growth is measured and decomposed into technical change and efficiency change. The efficiency change is further decomposed into pure efficiency change and scale efficiency. It is found that Islamic banks＇ productivity growth is limited by its lack of technological change compared to its conventional counterparts. Nonetheless, both types of banks are operating at the correct level in terms of scale or size.     

Sequential Malmquist Indices of Productivity Growth: An Application to OECD Industrial Activities

The paper applies both the standard DEA methodology with contemporaneous frontiers and DEA with sequential frontiers to study changes in productivity and efficiency in manufacturing for a sample of eleven OECD countries over a twenty-year period. It uses a decomposition of the industrial Malmquist productivity indices to locate the sources of productivity growth: 'technical progress' and 'catching up.' The alternative indices are interrelated in a unifying framework that provides an interpretation to their difference. We argue that for manufacturing industries, in which technological regress is unlikely to occur, DEA with sequential frontiers provides a more adequate measure for the contribution of technical changes than standard DEA.     

生产性服务业生产率与经济增长关系分析

生产性服务业作为现代服务业的核心,集中体现了对经济的促进作用。生产性服务业通过提高经济增长效率、延展产业链和促进就业,推动了经济的增长,而经济的增长也为生产性服务业的发展提供了所需的基础设施和经济环境。     

Data envelopment analysis and Malmquist indices for measuring group performance

This paper develops measures, based on the Malmquist index, that enable the decision making units’ internal inefficiencies to be distinguished from those associated with their group (or program) characteristics. The applicability of these measures is illustrated with the assessment of bank branches’ performance. The analysis involves the construction of an index reflecting the relative performance of branches in four different regions, which can be decomposed into an index for the comparison of within-group efficiency spread, evaluating internal managerial efficiencies, and an index for the comparison of frontier productivity, reflecting the impact of environmental factors and regional managerial policies on branches’ productivity.     

A Decomposition of Total Factor Productivity Growth in Korean Manufacturing Industries: A Stochastic Frontier Approach

This paper applies a stochastic frontier production model to Korean manufacturing industries, to decompose the sources of total factor productivity (TFP) growth into technical progress, changes in technical efficiency, changes in allocative efficiency, and scale effects. Empirical results based on data from 1980–1994 show that productivity growth was driven mainly by technical progress, that changes in technical efficiency had a significant positive effect, and that allocative efficiency had a negative effect. This study suggests that specific guidelines are required to promote productivity in each industry, and provides additional insight into understanding the recent debate on TFP growth in Korean manufacturing.     

Measures in DEA with an Application to the Malmquist Index

This paper shows the importance of goal vectors G in measuring and dealing with DEA inefficiencies. It emphasizes the advantages of the family of additive relative to the traditional oriented DEA models and shifts the primary emphasis to measuring inefficiency rather than efficiency. This new (raw) inefficiency measure RIN incorporates both the traditional DEA efficiency and the DEA slacks and provides the background for a new approach to the Malmquist Index. The final section points out some deficiencies in existing computational procedures for selecting G and calls for continued research on the selection process, as well as showing a role for G in returns to scale studies.     

基于MEA和Luenberger生产率指数的中国商业银行效率及生产率模式评估

引入多方向效率分析模型(MEA)模型对我国16家上市商业银行2011—2018年各指标的效率进行了评估,结果显示国有银行效率低下的主要原因是净利息利润、存款和劳动力的效率较低。为进一步研究中国商业银行生产率的构成情况,引入基于方向性距离函数的Luenberger生产率指数及其分解结果,来评价中国商业银行各指标的生产率,得到中国商业银行生产率的变化主要归功于净利息利润和净非利息利润生产率的变化。     

Estimating global frontier shifts and global Malmquist indices

The Malmquist index is a measure of productivity changes, of which an important component is the frontier shift or technological change. Often technological change can be viewed as a global phenomenon, and therefore individual or local measures of technological changes are aggregated into an overall measure, traditionally using geometric means. In this paper we propose a way of calculating global Malmquist indices and global frontier shift indices which provides a better estimation of the true frontier shift and furthermore is easy to calculate. Using simulation studies we show how this method outperforms the traditional aggregation approach, especially for sparsely populated production possibility sets and for frontiers that also change shape over time. Furthermore, our global indices can be used for unbalanced panels without disregarding any information. Finally, we show how the global indices are meaningful for calculating differences between frontiers from different groups rather than different time periods as illustrated in a small case study of bank branches in different countries.      

Productivity Growth in the Western Hemisphere (1978–94): The Caribbean in Perspective

Productivity growth, technical efficiency change, and technological change were measured for a sample of 30 countries in the Western Hemisphere for the 1978–1994 period using the Malmquist index. The Caribbean compared unfavorably with North America and the Latin American regions. Evidence indicated some support for the convergence hypothesis. Regression analysis indicated that productivity growth in the Caribbean was positively associated with civil, economic, and political liberty.     

Index Number Concepts,Measures and Decompositions of Productivity Growth

This paper explores the definitions and properties of total factor productivity growth (TFPG) indexes, focusing especially on the Paasche, Laspeyres, Fisher, Törnqvist, and implicit Törnqvist ones. These indexes can be evaluated from observable price and quantity data, and certain of these are shown to be measures of TFPG concepts and theoretical indexes that have been proposed in the literature. The mathematical relationships between these and quantity aggregates, financial measures, and price and quantity indexes are explored. Decompositions of the productivity growth indexes are also given. The paper concludes with a brief overview of some limitations on our analysis.