Trade liberalization and technical efficiency in the Indonesian chemicals industry

This article examines the impact of trade reform on technical efficiency on the Indonesian chemicals industry using firm-level panel data. The effects of trade reform on technical efficiency are analysed using a stochastic frontier approach. Two variables represent trade reform in this model: effective rate of protection (ERP) and import ratio (IMP). The findings of the present study suggest that both trade reform variables have significant effects on technical efficiency. The coefficient of ERP has a positive sign and is statistically significant, which means that an increase in ERP increases the inefficiency (or decreases the technical efficiency) of firms in the chemicals industry. The coefficient of IMP is negative and statistically significant, which represents the negative impact of IMP on technical inefficiency (or positive on technical efficiency). Thus, trade reform, a reduction in ERP or an increase in IMP, has an unambiguously positive effect on technical efficiency in the Indonesian chemicals industry.     

The effects of agglomeration economies on technical efficiency of manufacturing firms: evidence from Indonesia

This article examines the effects of agglomeration economies and industrial structure upon firm-level technical efficiency in the Indonesian manufacturing industry over the period 2004–2009. A stochastic production frontier and three channels of agglomeration economies consisting of specialization, diversity and competition are used. The empirical results show that the effects of specialization and diversity upon firm-level technical efficiency are positive and negative, respectively, indicating that specialization is more favourable than diversity for stimulating firms’ technical efficiency. Competition has a positive sign, showing that region with high levels of competition tend to be more conducive in accelerating firm-level technical efficiency. In terms of firm location, both dummy for urban region and industrial complex turn out to be positive, indicating that firms located in both areas are experienced higher technical efficiency. Both firm size and age also have positive effect upon technical efficiency.     

The Brazilian Soccer Championship: an efficiency analysis

This article analyses the top Brazilian football league from 2003 to 2011 by estimating a cost function and using a stochastic frontier model. Among the covariates, the number of fans per club and club remoteness is taken into account. The Brazilian clubs are then ranked according to their technical efficiency during the 2000–2011 period. Based on the results, the policy implication is presented, and the economic implications arising from the study are also considered.     

经济增长的技术效率及其影响因素研究——以四川省为例

运用2000—2010年数据,基于对数型柯布—道格拉斯生产函数的随机前沿模型,对四川省区域经济增长效率及其影响因素进行研究。结果表明,四川省经济增长主要靠劳动力驱动,平均技术效率水平较低,经济处于规模报酬递减状态,且其区域差异有扩大的趋势。而基础设施建设和科研投入对经济增长效率具有促进作用,金融机构的贷款业务和政府财政支出对效率的提高具有抑制作用。     

我国工业企业绿色创新效率评价

绿色创新有助于实现我国经济的可持续发展。作为经济发展的重要参与主体,工业企业绿色创新效率的提升,有助于实现我国工业的绿色转型。本文采用面板时变随机前沿模型测算了2013—2017年我国各省份工业企业的绿色创新效率。研究发现：自2013年以来,我国工业企业的绿色创新水平不断得到改善;创新效率呈现出时变特征,整体随时间变化而不断优化;分地区看,各省份存在经济发展与环境管理责任的相机决策;分区域看,东中西三大地区存在一定的创新差距,但呈现出收敛趋势。     

Energy efficiency in transition economies

This article outlines and estimates a measure of underlying efficiency in electricity consumption for an unbalanced panel of 27 transition economies and 6 European OECD countries between 1994 and 2007. A Bayesian Generalized True Random Effects stochastic frontier model with persistent and transient inefficiency is considered by estimating an aggregate electricity demand function that leads to consumption efficiency scores, giving further insights than a simple analysis of energy intensity. There is evidence of convergence between the CIS countries and a block of Eastern European and OECD countries, although other country groups do not follow this tendency, such as the Balkans.     

An explanation of the changes in the proportion of temporary workers in Spain

In this paper a theoretical model is developed to identify the main determinants of the proportion of temporary workers at firms. The outcomes show that the proportion of temporary workers has a counter-cyclical behaviour: it grows during the slump period up to 1995 and falls during the subsequent recovery. However, given the effect of the general economic cycle, firms that raise their sales or improve their market dynamism index tend to increase their proportion of temporary workers. This proportion also rises when the average labour cost decreases, firm size increases, and the knowledge capital stock diminishes.     

企业家精神对我国产业技术效率的影响——基于随机前沿生产函数的实证研究

本文从企业家职能入手,探讨了创业精神与创新精神影响我国产业技术效率的微观机理,并以36个工业行业1998-2007年的面板数据为样本,运用随机前沿分析的方法进行实证检验。结果表明：创业精神基于纠错机制对技术效率的促进作用,在行政壁垒越大的行业越明显,对全部行业却并不显著;创新精神通过推动生产前沿边界的外移成为提升我国产业技术效率的主导力量,且该效应在市场竞争较充分的行业会得到强化。     

中国烟草加工企业技术效率分析——基于参数方法与非参数方法的对比研究

针对中国烟草加工企业因规模扩张而出现的管理效率低下等问题,使用2000--2006年企业层面的截面数据,运用参数方法和非参数方法测算了中国烟草加工企业的技术效率,并对两种方法的测算结果进行了比较分析。结果表明：两种测算结果存在较高的相关性,测算结果比较可靠;2000--2006年中国烟草加工企业的平均技术效率为0．74～0．79,具有稳步上升趋势;行业整体规模效率较高,但规模报酬递减的企业所占的比重有所增大。     

Estimation of the efficiency of structural funds: a parametric and nonparametric approach

This article seeks to perform an analysis of the efficiency of the application of the structural funds in the regions classified as Objective 1 over the period 2000 to 2006, applying the techniques known as Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier. In the first place, we are going to identify which are the most efficient regions. Finally, we will analyse the extent to which certain factors have repercussions on the efficiency such as country, geographical location and contribution of agriculture of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the result indicates that some of these variables have significantly influences of technical efficiency.     

Determinants of bank cost efficiency in transition economies: evidence for Latin America,Central and Eastern Europe and South-East Asia

In this study, we adopt Wang’s (2002) heteroscedastic stochastic frontier model, which allows us to investigate bank cost efficiency and to measure the marginal effects of some variables on both the level and the variability of inefficiency. In recent years, the financial crisis has significantly affected the banking systems of the transition countries. Hence, the efficiency is of major importance for the stability of the banks. Regarding the determinants of efficiency, we find evidence that banks that follow a more cautious strategy, characterized by lower risk appetite and average expectations on profitability, have higher cost efficiency. We also find that traditional deposit-taking and loan-making still remain the most efficient activity of the banks. Additionally, the results showed that a higher Gross Domestic Product growth rate implies an increase in the inefficiency level, indicating an unsustainable bank management behaviour, which in periods of economic growth adopts policies that can generate inefficiency in order to gain market share and to obtain higher bonuses. Country cost efficiency results show significant differences. The banking systems in transition countries in South Eastern Asia appear to have a higher cost efficiency level. Also, the effects of the financial crisis were less significant in this region.     

Estimating input-mix efficiency in a parametric framework: application to state-level agricultural data for the United States

ABSTRACT

This paper contributes to the productivity literature by demonstrating novel econometric methods to estimate input-mix efficiency (IME) in a parametric framework. Input-mix efficiency is defined as the potential improvement in productivity with change in input mix. Any change in input-mix (e.g., land to labou r ratio) will result in change in productivity. The advantage of this approach is that it does not require data on input prices to estimate the mix efficiency levels. A nonlinear input-aggregator function (e.g., Constant Elasticity of Substitution) is used to derive an expression for input-mix efficiency. Bayesian stochastic frontier is estimated for obtaining mix efficiency using US state-level agricultural data for the period 1960–2004. Significant variation in input-mix efficiency is noted across the states and regions, attributable to diverse topographic and geographic conditions. Furthermore, comparisons of allocative and mix efficiencies provide insightful policy implications. The production incentives such as taxes and subsidies could help farmers in adjusting their input mix in response to changes in input prices, which can affect the US agricultural productivity significantly. The proposed methodology can be extended by i) using flexible functional forms; ii) introducing various time- and region-varying input aggregators; and iii) defining more sophisticated weights for input aggregators.     

Looking at the determinants of efficiency in banking: evidence from Italian mutual-cooperatives

Italy has experienced a restructuring and consolidation process in the banking industry since the 1990s that is expected to foster efficiency and competition. Despite the reforms, a peculiarity of the industry is the persistence of small mutual-cooperative banks (Banche di Credito Cooperativo, BCCs) active in narrow markets. The scope of this paper is to analyze the determinants of BCCs’ efficiency in the 2006–2011 period. In the first step of the study, a stochastic cost frontier is used to yield bank efficiency. Then the cost efficiency becomes the dependent variable of fixed and random effect models. The reference market of BCCs is the province (NUTS3). We find that BCC cost efficiency is positively affected by market concentration and demand density and inversely related to branching. Importantly, these results are robust to any sample restriction anchored to the distribution of efficiency. While the evidence regarding the credit quality is inconclusive for all BCCs, the sensitivity analysis shows that the risk in local markets is a source of BCC cost inefficiency.     

江苏省生产效率与全要素生产率分解的空间格局演变分析

选用超越对数函数的随机前沿模型,估算1993—2009年江苏省各县市的生产效率,并分解其全要素生产率增长率。结果表明:①苏南地区生产效率最高,苏北地区生产效率最低;各地区平均生产效率均出现不同程度下降,苏南下降幅度最小,苏北下降幅度最大;苏南地区生产效率较为均衡,苏中、苏北地区内部差距逐渐增大。②城市化率、GDP中第二产业比重、出口与GDP之比对生产效率具有正面作用,而政府干预程度与生产效率呈负相关关系。③各地区全要素生产率增长率是逐步增加的,增长主要是由技术进步率贡献的。④通过对TFP增长率和产出增长率联合对比把各县市分为四种类型。全要素生产率从另一个侧面揭示区域经济增长及差异的形成过程。     

Financial liberalization,financial regulation and bank efficiency: a multi-country analysis

This article investigates the impact of financial reforms on bank efficiency. More specifically, we distinguish between two different types of financial reforms, i.e. financial liberalization measures and measures of the quality of bank regulation and supervision (i.e. financial regulation), and study their relationship to bank efficiency separately. Moreover, we analyse whether the impact of financial liberalization on bank efficiency is conditional on the quality of regulation and supervision of the banking system. We apply stochastic frontier analysis to calculate bank efficiency at the individual bank level and use a new and detailed database that measures different aspects of financial reforms. The data-set consists of 87 312 bank-year observations covering 61 countries for the period 1996–2005. Overall, we show that the impact of financial liberalization policies on bank efficiency is conditional on the extent to which bank regulation and supervision has been adopted and developed.     

An analysis of the impact of unionization on efficiency: evidence from a meta-frontier analysis

This article examines the impact of unions on the efficiency of establishments in the manufacturing industry by comparing the results from two different empirical strategies: stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and meta-frontier analysis (MFA). While SFA concludes that union establishments show higher technological efficiency, the results are the opposite when estimating production functions with MFA. In SFA, unionized establishments appear to be more efficient because they remain closer to their own production frontier; however, in MFA – where groups with heterogeneous technology can be compared – we find that nonunionized establishments are more efficient because they are closer to the meta-frontier than their unionized counterparts.     

技术进步、技术效率与我国乡镇企业增长——基于随机前沿生产函数的分析框架

本文在运用中国1990～2005年间省际平衡面板数据的基础上,采用考虑非效率项的非中性技术进步随机前沿生产函数模型,分析了我国各省区乡镇企业的规模报酬、技术效率和技术进步。主要结论如下：在乡镇企业的发展过程中,资本产出弹性不断接近甚至有超过劳动产出弹性的趋势,呈现“资本深化”的态势;整个规模报酬略大于1,这表明适当扩大乡镇企业经营规模存在着规模经济效应;而整体平均技术效率水平逐年递增,技术进步率则逐年下降。在此基础上,提出了相关政策建议,以期能够对实现我国乡镇企业的可持续发展有所裨益。     

Singapore's Manufacturing Sector's TFP Growth: A Decomposition Analysis

Singapore has been criticized recently for experiencing insignificant total factor productivity (TFP) growth. This paper examines whether this criticism is valid in the context of the manufacturing sector of Singapore. Using new data and the stochastic production frontier approach, TFP growth is decomposed into technological progress and changes in technical efficiency. While the results could not reject the hypothesis that Singapore's output growth is mostly input-driven, they show that, despite technological progress, technical inefficiency is the cause for the low and declining TFP growth in the manufacturing sector.J. Comp. Econom., December 2000, 28(4), pp. 828–839. The University of Queensland; Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University.     

Public sector efficiency in transition and beyond: evidence from Czech local governments

This article provides the first comparison of public sector efficiency in and beyond transition. We compare the comprehensive efficiency scores of 202 local governments in the Czech Republic in the transition period of 1995–1998 and the post-transition period of 2005–2008 and identify the period-specific determinants of local government efficiency. We observe convergence to the best practice frontier but also a growing efficiency gap between small and large governments. In both periods, municipal size and the main fiscal variables qualitatively affect efficiency in the same direction and in line with the fiscal stress hypothesis. Left-wing ideology is only robustly associated with cost inefficiency in the transition period. The geographic distances begin to matter for efficiency only in the post-transition period.     

Technical Efficiency in the Chinese Textile Industry

This paper presents a measurement of the technical efficiency of textile industries with 4-digit codes in China by using the cross-section data from 2002 and 2007 and a fully nonparametric stochastic frontier estimation approach. The technical efficiency of these textile industries is compared across six economic ownership types and across seven regions in China. This uncovers the effects of the proprietary characteristics and the location of a firm on its technical efficiency performance. The nonparametric estimation provides some interesting findings. First, textile production in China performs with a decreasing return to scale. The difference between the output elasticity of labor and that of capital decreases from the year 2002 to 2007. Second, the technical efficiency of the 4-digit textile industry in China is significantly contingent on its ownership and location. Privately-run textile enterprises on average perform with the highest level of technical efficiency among the six ownership types while state-owned enterprises perform with the lowest level of technical efficiency, whether or not the location dummies are accounted for. Third, the technical efficiency evaluated by regions follows the order: “eastern area > southern area > central area > northern area,” which remains unchanged across the two years.