Bridging the Gap between Partial and Total Factor Productivity Measures Using Directional Distance Functions

Technical dependencies as well as data constraints limit our ability to allocate inputs across sectors and hence our ability to measure sectoral productivity. We adapt a directional measure of efficiency to the measurement of sector-specific productivity that does not require allocating all inputs across sectors. Applied to the agricultural sector of a group of countries, the results show important differences in livestock and crops productivity growth. Commonly used partial factor productivity measures for livestock and crops tend to overestimate productivity growth in most developing countries while underestimating it in European countries.     

Size and Productivity in the U.S. Milling and Baking Industries

From the late 1950s through mid-1990s, productivity growth in U.S. grain milling and feed manufacturing has been consistently strong and positive. In grain milling, approximately 15% of the growth is due to size economies. Technical change has been capital-using, increasingly material-saving, and, in recent years, decreasingly labor-saving or increasingly labor-using. The quality of capital has risen relative to that of labor and materials. In all but the baking industry, capital intensification and incentives for plant size growth remain unabated.     

低碳约束下木材加工业全要素生产率研究

在考虑碳排放的基础上运用DEA-Malmquist指数测算了13个国家木材加工业的全要素生产率。对比分析1995~2009年发达国家与发展中国家木材加工业全要素生产率的发展变化情况。研究发现:总体而言,考虑CO2排放的木材加工业全要素生产率要高于传统全要素生产率,技术进步是全要素生产率增长的主要原因。低碳约束前后发达国家木材加工业全要素生产率平均水平要高于发展中国家。从1995年到2009年由于技术进步指数的变化引起了中国木材加工业全要素生产率较大的波动。根据实证分析结论,提出适当调整产业规模、提高产业技术创新水平等建议。     

黑龙江国有林区林业产业全要素生产率及其影响因素分析

利用DEA法测量了黑龙江省森工40个林业企业的全要素生产率(Total Factor Productiv-ity,TFP),并利用Panel-Data模型找出其影响因素。实证分析结果表明:2003～2009黑龙江国有林区林业企业全要素生产率总体上呈现下降趋势,其原因可归结为林区技术进步缓慢;规模效率和纯技术效率对全要素生产率有正向作用;技术因素和营林投资比重对森工企业的全要素生产率有正向影响,固定资产投资对其存在负向影响,而劳动投入和天保工程(政策因素)对其影响不显著。为此,提出鼓励林业企业技术创新、优化林业投资结构、加强林业投资体制改革、加快森林生态服务的市场化进程和深化林业管理体制改革等建议。     

安徽省农业生产效率的测度与分析

农业是国民经济建设与发展的基础产业,农业生产率是衡量一个国家和地区农业生产水平的重要指标。文章以安徽省地级市的农业产值为研究对象,运用调整后农业投入产出数据,采用超效率DEA模型和Malmquist指数法测算2008-2018年地级市农业生产效率。结果表明:当前安徽省只有少数地级市农业生产效率达到有效,大部分地级市农业生产效率处于增长状态,存在较大发展潜力;另外,各地级市由于技术进步水平和生产规模等不同,农业生产效率也具有较大差异。基于此,安徽省应加大农业发展投入,各地级市需因地制宜提升农业生产效率,促进农业稳定发展。     

Decomposition of output growth in the Tunisian olive-growing sector: A frontier production function approach

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relative contribution of technical efficiency, technological change, and increased input use to the output growth of the Tunisian olive oil growing farms, using a stochastic frontier production function approach applied to panel data for the period 1995-1997. The proposed methodology is based on the use of a flexible translog functional form. Results indicate that technical efficiency of production in the sample of olive producing farms investigated ranges from a minimum of 24.8% to a maximum of 84.6% with an average technical efficiency estimate of 48.5%. This suggests that olive producers may increase their production by as much as 51.5% through more efficient use of production inputs. Further, the production is characterized by decreasing returns to scale, which on average was 0.8. Finally, investigation of the sources of production growth reveals that the contribution of conventional inputs (labor, in particular) and technical change are found to be the main source of that growth, since total factor productivity increased during the study period, but at a slowing rate.     

吉林森工集团林业局的生产效率研究——基于DEA和Malmquist指数分析法

基于DEA(Data Envelopment Analysis)方法和Malmquist指数分析法对吉林森工集团8个林业局的生产效率进行了实证研究。研究结果表明:2009年湾沟林业局、泉阳林业局和白石山林业局的技术效率没有达到1;2003—2009年8个林业局的全要素生产力每年平均提高2.04%;其中,主要是技术进步带来的贡献,而技术效率的贡献度相对较低。     

中国生态环境治理绩效动态评价研究——基于DEA-BCC模型和全要素生产率指数

为研究中国生态环境治理情况,分别运用DEA-BCC模型和全要素生产率(TFP)指数对中国内地30个省份(除西藏)的生态环境治理绩效进行分析和评价。实证结果表明:(1)从静态分析结果来看,全国生态环境治理绩效提高且在0.85以上,大部分省市的生态环境治理绩效在0.8以上,全国生态环境治理情况整体良好;(2)从动态分析结果来看,2007-2016年中国生态环境治理绩效呈现波动上升趋势,平均TFP指数为1.018,技术进步是生态环境治理绩效提高的关键。最后,就分析结果提出对策建议。     

Productivity and Environmental Performance in Marketing Cooperatives: An Analysis of the Spanish Horticultural Sector

The paper analyses the productivity of marketing cooperatives incorporating environmental inputs/outputs. In the European agriculture, expectations for attaining sustainable and competitive agriculture rely to a great extent on the cooperative sector's ability to adapt to new market conditions. These challenges have led marketing cooperatives in the fruit and vegetables sector to consider improvements in productivity and sound environmental performance. The study analyses the total factor productivity related to environmental variables in this sector using a parametric‐stochastic approach and panel data on Spanish cooperatives over the period 1994–2002. Additionally, the determinants of environmental productivity are examined econometrically. The estimates obtained show an increase in efficiency for the period under study and a relationship between productivity changes and management factors, such as labour quality, capital intensity and environmental spillover.     

Patterns in Technical Efficiency and Technical Change at the Farm‐level in England and Wales, 1982–2002

English and Welsh farm‐level survey data are employed to estimate stochastic frontier production functions for eight different farm types (cereal, dairy, sheep, beef, poultry, pigs, general cropping and mixed) for the period 1982 to 2002. Differences in the relative efficiency of farms are explored by the simultaneous estimation of a model of technical inefficiency effects. The analysis shows that, generally, farms of all types are relatively efficient with a large proportion of farms operating close to the production frontier. However, whilst the frontier farms of all types are becoming more efficient through time because of technical change, it is also the case that the efficiency of the average farm for most farm types is increasing at a slower rate. In addition, annual mean levels of efficiency for most farm types have declined between 1982 and 2002. The factors that consistently appear to have a statistically significant effect on differences in efficiency between farms are: farm or herd size, farm debt ratios, farmer age, levels of specialisation and ownership status.     

中国林业生态效率与生态生产率的测度研究

通过界定林业生态效率的内涵,建立林业生态效率评价指标体系,运用DEA模型和Malmquist指数法对全国30个省市(港、澳、台、藏除外)的林业生态效率和生态生产率进行测度表明:中国林业生态效率在近十年呈小范围波动性变化,全国总体的林业生态效率均值为0.912,并且地区及省市间差别较大;TFP指数均值达到1.037,表明中国林业生态效率的发展水平整体在缓慢提高,技术进步变动指数是导致总林业生态生产率TFP指数提高的主要原因之一,不同地区和省市间各分解指数也存在很大差异。适当改变林业的生产经营方式,适度调整林业发展规模对于各省市提高林业生态效率和生态生产率是十分必要的。     

Production Contracts and Productivity in the U.S. Hog Sector

This article measures the impact of contracting on partial and total factor productivity and the production technology of U.S. hog operations. A sample selection model accounts for the fact that unobservable variables may be correlated with both the operators' decision to contract and farm productivity. Results indicate that the use of production contracts is associated with a substantial increase in factor productivity, and represents a technological improvement over independent production. Results also identify determinants of farmers' decisions to contract and other factors influencing farm productivity.     

基于Malmquist指数法的中国省域森林公园运营效率动态实证分析

借助DEA-Malmquist指数法,分析了中国31个省域森林公园2003²011年间运营效率的动态变化特征。分析结果表明:森林公园运营效率平均提高了5.9%,技术进步是主要的贡献因素,而技术效率的作用相对较弱;在该期间内,森林公园运营效率呈现振荡上升的特征;省域间的个体差异严重,江苏省运营效率上升最高(15.3%),河北省下降最多(-7%);中部是运营效率上升幅度最高的地区,而西部地区对技术进步依赖程度最高。     

The Source of Productivity Growth in Dutch Agriculture: A Perspective from Finance

In corporate finance, the impact of capital structure on firm performance has been widely studied. This article extends the capital structure study to the situation in agriculture, explicitly addressing the difference between family farms and corporate firms. We use the Malmquist productivity growth index as a proxy for performance to study the impact of capital structure (debt) on farm performance. We compare the results with those from the traditional performance model that uses profitability (e.g., return on equity (ROE)) as performance measure. Using data from Dutch arable farms, results show that debt has no effect on ROE, whereas it has a positive effect on productivity growth.     

Mergers and Acquisitions and Productivity in the U.S. Meat Products Industries: Evidence from the Micro Data

This article investigates the motives for mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in the U.S. meat products industry from 1977 to 1992. Results show that acquired meat and poultry plants were very productive before mergers, and that all but the very largest meat slaughter and processing plants and all but the bottom 20% of the poultry slaughter and processing plants significantly improved their productivity growth in their postmerger periods. These results lead to the conclusion that synergies and related efficiencies are important motives for M&As.     

The Contribution of Unmeasurable Inputs to Fisheries Production: An Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Fishing Vessels in the English Channel

Variations in the efficiency of demersal trawlers operating in the English Channel were examined through the estimation of a stochastic frontier production function. The most important measurable factor affecting efficiency was the age of the vessel. However, unmeasurable factors accounted for about 65% of the variation in efficiency, and as much as 9% of the total variation in catches between boats. It is postulated that most of this variation was due to differences in skipper and crew skill. In contrast, "luck" accounted for around 11% of the variation in catches between boats.     

基于近红外光谱的稻谷、大米、大米粉直链淀粉含量预测

以产自安徽省的99份籼米为研究对象,比较稻谷、大米、大米粉近红外光谱测定直链淀粉的差异,利用TAS全校准技术下稻谷、大米、大米粉3种大米物理形态的近红外光谱测定直链淀粉结果的相关性,建立适用于安徽省所产稻谷中直链淀粉营养成分的定量模型.研究结果表明,稻谷、大米、大米粉测定直链淀粉模型的预测相关系数分别为0.863、0....     

A Regional Analysis of Productivity Change in Canadian Agriculture, with Special Reference to Energy Prices

By using a profit specification for the agricultural sector instead of the conventional value-added production formulation, this paper explains changes to regional productivity in Canada in terms of changes in output prices, material prices, energy prices, capital deepening and technical progress. The results indicate that ignoring variable input and output price increases will generally result in an overstatement of the rate of technical progress. Most notably, in the 1973-79 period, energy price increases caused a reduction in average labor productivity, though increased capital deepening and rising output prices offset price increases for energy and other materials .
C'est en subsliluant une spécification du gain pour le secleur agricole à la formulation classique de la valeur ajoutée de la production, que cette communication explique les changements regionaux de la productivité au Canada en fonction des changements du rendement el des prix des matériaux el de ľénergie, en plus des changements du rapport capital/main-ďoeuvre el du progrès technique. Les résultals indiquent que si on ne tenait aucun compte des augmentations variables des prix ďenlrée el de sortie. ľaccélération du progrès technique serait, en général, exagéré. Pendant les années 1973 à 1979 en particulier, les augmentations des prix de ľénergie onl donné lieu à une réduction de la productivité moyenne de la main-ďoeuvre. Néanmoins, ľaugmentation du rapport capital/main-ďoeuvre el les prix croissants du rendement onl compensé les hausses des prix de ľénergie el ďaulres matériaux .