Determinants of technical efficiency of crop and livestock farms in Poland

Poland, one of the candidate countries for European Union membership, is currently experiencing acute structural problems within its agriculture sector. This article analyses technical efficiency and its determinants for a panel of individual farms in Poland specialized in crop and livestock production in 2000. Technical efficiency is estimated with stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and confidence intervals are constructed. Determinants of inefficiency are also evaluated. The SFA results are compared with results using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). On average, livestock farms are more technically efficient than crop farms. For both specializations, the size–efficiency relationship is positive, that is large farms are more efficient. The SFA findings are generally supported by the DEA results. Soil quality and the degree of integration with downstream markets are highly important determinants of efficiency. The use of factor markets (land and labour) is important for crop farms, while livestock farms can rely on family labour and own land. Also, education is a constraint to efficiency particularly for crop farms.     

Consideration of technological and environmental heterogeneity in cost efficiency analysis

In order to evaluate and compare the efficiency levels across banking industries, we adopt the meta-frontier model that can assess the technological difference among countries. Given the importance of country specific conditions, we include in our analysis the different specificities of each country to incorporate the technological as the environmental differences in the evaluation of banking efficiencies. Using data on the banking industries of several countries in the MENA region, over the period 1991–2011, the results of the efficiency scores corrected by the technological and environmental gap led us to conclude that Egyptian banks are the most efficient in terms of cost compared with banks in other countries. Egyptian banks enjoy a very favourable banking technology. Our results support the hypothesis that traditional techniques of efficiency analysis based on the efficiency scores of a specific and pooled frontier tend to mystify efficiency levels and may incorrectly identify efficient banks. This paper contributes to the efficiency literature by incorporating technological and environmental heterogeneities in the evaluation of efficiency. This helps to characterize the production process of a bank and provides common standards by which the efficiencies of banks in different countries can be compared in a meaningful way with each other.     

Conventional and Islamic Banks’ Performance in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries; Efficiency and Determinants

This paper investigates the cost efficiency levels of the banking sectors of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries for the period from 2001 to 2015 and provides a comparison of conventional and Islamic banks. We obtain measures of efficiency using a stochastic frontier model and the meta-frontier approach. The evidence demonstrates that Islamic banks are less efficient and have a weaker level of production technology than conventional banks. The cost efficiency of banks varies significantly across the six Gulf countries and over time. We adopt the results drawn from the meta-frontier model that allow to take into account the differences between the studied countries, and empirically examine the bank-specific, financial, macroeconomic, and political determinants of banking efficiency. The results provide evidence of the differential effects of the selected variables on the efficiency of conventional and Islamic banks. These variables affect the performance of the two types of banks in different ways and with different magnitudes.

     

Surface mining of coal: efficiency of US interior mines

In this paper the relative efficiency in surface mining of US interior coal is investigated. A nonparmetric, non-stochasitic method is applied to 186 observations and esch firm's efficiency is calculated relative to the piecewise llinesr frontier technology. In adition, three sources of inefficiency are identified, namely: Scale, congestion and purely technical inefficiency. The outcome of the study shows among other things that on the average, captive mines are more efficient than non-captive mines, and that unionized mines are more efficient than non-unionized mines.     

中西部效率低于东部吗?-基于技术集差异和共同前沿生产函数的分析

效率假说须考虑决策单位技术水平的差异,但许多文献在研究效率时都把中国所有区域看成一个总体,其隐含假设东、中、西部生产前沿均相同,忽视了技术集的地区差异.本文利用共同前沿生产函数包络东中西部的生产前沿,然后估算和比较区域间技术差距和技术效率,发现东中西部所面对的技术集差异显著,并且中部技术效率最高,其后依次为西部、东部,技术效率水平高低与市场化水平、研发投入的相对强度、资源禀赋、人力资本、市场需求、产业结构等因素相关.     

A ‘technically level playing-field’ profit efficiency analysis of enforced competition between publicly funded institutions

The study demonstrates how recent advances in the data envelopment analysis (DEA) of profit efficiency, and in combining DEA and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to measure producer performance, can be used to obtain a ‘technically level playing-field’ profit efficiency performance measure. A three-stage analysis is used to provide an empirical investigation of public-sector universities facing regulatory pressures to attain both profit efficiency and output quality. Stage one employs directional distance function analysis to decompose DEA profit efficiency measures into technical and allocative components. As these performance measures incorporate the impacts of managerial inefficiency, the operating environment and luck (statistical noise), stage two applies SFA to total (radial and non-radial) slacks to obtain a degree of disentanglement from the latter two impacts. The stage-two results are used to define a common environment and common luck scenario, thus permitting university producers’ inputs to be adjusted so as to reflect operation within this more level playing-field scenario. Stage three recomputes the first-stage DEA for this scenario, to yield an (input-focused) ‘technically level playing-field’ measure of profit efficiency that unifies the regulatory financial audit and output-quality indicators in a single, best-practice-benchmarked, performance measure.     

Measuring consumption efficiency with utility theory and stochastic frontier analysis

The concept of production efficiency has been studied since the 1960s, but consumption activity as well may be inefficient for various reasons, such as product complexity, lack of information, the bounded rationality of the consumer and imperfect markets, to name a few. This study proposes a conceptual framework for measuring the consumption efficiency of differentiated products, based on traditional utility theory. It employs stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) in an empirical analysis. It makes use of hedonic price theory to link traditional utility theory and the SFA framework. When the developed model is applied to the Korean personal computer market, empirical results indicate the levels and distribution of consumption efficiency in that market. The findings afford us a better understanding of the characteristics of the innovation process in that market.     

Cost efficiency in Bangladesh banking: does financial reform matter?

This article estimates the cost efficiency of the commercial banks of Bangladesh in the context of financial reform. Employing the single-stage stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) model, the study uses a unique balanced panel data set comprising bank-level annual data from the dominant commercial banks in Bangladesh for the period 1983–2012. The results show that bank cost has fallen due to financial deregulation. Our results from the data envelopment analysis do not vary significantly that we obtained from the SFA. In addition, the presence of politically linked directors on the bank board has an adverse effect on efficiency. These findings suggest that further reforms aiming at removing all sorts of political influence should continue to ensure competitive environment in order to achieve cost efficiency in the financial sector of the country.     

Performance of Dairy Plants in the Cooperative and Private Sectors in India

During the 1990s the cooperative dairy processing sector in India was exposed to greater competition from private sector plants. In this paper we measure cost efficiency (decomposed into technical and allocative efficiency) at the dairy plant level in the cooperative and private sectors in India. Two efficiency measurement methods are used: stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA). The study utilizes an (incomplete) panel data sample of 23 plants, comprising 13 cooperative plants and 10 private plants, observed between 1992/93 and 1996/97. Our results indicate that cooperative plants are more cost efficient than private plants, although this difference is insignificant at the 5 per cent level. Furthermore, we observe that the cost efficiency of cooperative plants has not improved since market liberalization in 1991. These results suggest that the liberalization policy has not yet realized its expected benefits, and also cause us to question the general expectation that private operators will have efficiency advantages relative to cooperatives.     

The contribution of start-ups and young firms to industry-level efficiency growth

This article examines the impact of start-ups (active for 1 up to 5 years) and young firms (active for 6 up to 10 years) on industry-level efficiency growth in six EU countries, covering the period 2002–2009. Using semi-parametric estimates of meta-frontier efficiency, it is found that surviving entrants gradually raise their efficiency level in all countries considered. Firm-level efficiency growth decreases with firm age, whereas reallocation towards efficient firms contributes more to industry-level growth as firms mature. The relative contribution of start-ups appears to have been important as they actually contributed positively to overall efficiency growth which, over the period under consideration, was negative in most countries, even before the ‘Great Recession’. There are indications of ‘cleansing’, due to the exit of less efficient firms, during the ‘Great Recession’.     

测度政府技术效率的模型与方法比较研究

技术效率是在产出规模不变,市场价格不变的条件下,按照既定的要素投入比例所能达到的最小生产成本占实际生产成本的百分比。政府技术效率是广义的政府绩效或效率的一个部分,它是政府提供公共服务过程中能够测度的政府投入与政府产出之间的比例关系。测度政府技术效率主要的模型与方法有非参数前沿法和参数前沿法。非参数前沿法主要包括数据包络法分析（DEA）和自由处置包（FDH）,而参数前沿法主要包括随机前沿法（SFA）、模糊边界法（TFA）和确定性前沿法（DFA）。通过建立模型科学对政府技术效率进行评估与测度可提高政府各个方面的科学性和有效性,从而促进政府技术效率的提高。     

The influence analysis on public expenditure to the technique efficiency of China

In this paper, we use SFA to estimate the time-variant stochastic frontier model of 31 cities in China. The results tell us that raising the proportion of public expenditure in GDP can lower the technological efficiency, but raising some parts of public expenditure in GDP can promote the technological efficiency. Its realistic meaning is that it is excellent to turn the public expenditure structure to promote the technological efficiency. We computed the technological efficiency of 31 provinces/cities and the results show that the gap between the eastern region and western region is growing much. Finally, we decompose total factor productivity (TFP) and get the following result: from three regions, the biggest influence factor on technological efficiency is the scales economy. Technological progress and allocation efficiency have a smaller influence. From our results, we suggest that technological progress and allocation efficiency from public expenditure and income be raised to influence the TFP rate of change, and have a more efficient public expenditure. __________ Translated from Journal of Finance and Economics (财经研究), 2005, (12) (in Chinese)     

Consistency in performance rankings: the Peru water sector

Regulators can utilize a number of alternative methodologies for comparing firm efficiency, but these approaches need to be robust to be accepted by stakeholders. This study evaluates the consistency of water-utility performance rankings for Peruvian water utilities. The results indicate that data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) yield similar rankings in this case. In addition, the techniques have comparable success for identifying the best and worst performing utilities. However, these rankings based on sophisticated statistical techniques are not highly correlated with those developed by the Peruvian water regulator (SUNASS). This result does not invalidate the performance rankings obtained by the regulator, since those rankings are based on more dimensions of utility performance. However, they illustrate the importance of developing sound techniques for identifying weak utilities. Improvements in sector performance require that benchmarking be given greater attention than in the past.     

Food environment and weight outcomes: a stochastic frontier approach

Food environment includes supermarkets, restaurants, warehouse clubs and supercentres and other food outlets. As such, it can affect weight outcomes through healthy food-access cost and availability, which in turn shape eating styles and habits. This article evaluates the impact of food environment on weight outcomes through a stochastic frontier approach (SFA) that comprehensively includes various components of the food environment. The model is estimated using body mass indexes (BMIs) as the dependent variable and demographics and food environment data from New England counties as explanatory variables. Empirical results indicate that supercentres and limited service restaurants are positively associated with weight gain, while full service restaurants are negatively associated with BMIs. In metropolitan counties, the presence of full and limited service restaurants has a significant impact on BMIs; in non-metropolitan counties, these establishments do not, except in those adjacent to metropolitan areas. Empirical results also validate SFA is a more appropriate specification than the standard linear model. In addition, SFA allows us to rank counties and identify targets for effective policy interventions. An ordered logit model of weight status is estimated with the same explanatory variables, confirming that the directions of the effects of the food environment components are similar.     

Comparing technical efficiency between import-substitution-oriented and export-oriented foreign firms in a developing economy

This paper investigates the relative technical efficiency of firms operating under different competitive pressures. Using observations from multational firms in Taiwan's electronics industry, we find that firms are constrained to export all their products and thus to compete in the world markets (namely, the export-oriented) tend to be more efficient than those allowed to sell their products in the protected local markets (namely, the import-substitution-oriented). Depending on the model specification, the export-oriented firms are 6% to 11% closer to the production frontier than the import-substitution-oriented firms.     

Public and private inputs in aggregate production and growth: a cross-country efficiency approach

In a cross section of OECD countries, we replace the macroeconomic production function by a production possibility frontier, total factor productivity being the composite effect of efficiency scores and possibility frontier changes. We consider, for the periods 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000 one output – GDP per worker – and three inputs – human capital, public physical capital per worker and private physical capital per worker. We use a semi-parametric analysis, computing Malmquist productivity indexes, and we also resort to stochastic frontier analysis. Results show that private capital is important for growth, although public and human capital also contribute positively. A governance indicator, a nondiscretionary input, explains inefficiency. Better governance helps countries to achieve a better performance. Nonparametric and parametric results coincide rather closely on the movements of the countries vis-à-vis the possibility frontier and on their relative distances to the frontier.     

Pursuing efficiency: a data envelopment analysis of MFIs in Latin America

This article analyses the overall profitability efficiency (PE) of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Latin America. The PE of each MFI in the study is broken down into two components: pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency. One data envelopment model is used to analyse each component. Each MFI was labelled as either a bank, cooperative and credit union, nonbanking financial institution or non-governmental organization, and then the analysis was performed on each separate group. The results suggest that, on average, banks are the most efficient MFIs; while NGOs are, on average, the least efficient MFIs. On average, all 4 groups are more pure technically efficient than scale efficient. Banks, nongovernmental organizations, nonbanking financial institutions, cooperatives and credit unions all seem to have problems with scale efficiency. Many MFIs seem to be operating on the increasing returns to scale frontier and are in a more favourable position for expansion.     

Efficiency and the quality of management and care: evidence from Japanese public hospitals

We study how the quality of hospital management and medical care both affect efficiency in Japanese local public hospitals. The efficiency is estimated by a stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and is regressed against the quality scores in hospital accreditation by the Japan Council for Quality Health Care (JCQHC). We find that rule-based hospital management relates to high efficiency, while the suitable management of beds and supplies relates to low efficiency.     

From transition to competitionDynamic efficiency analysis of Polish electricity distribution companies1

In this paper, we test the hypothesis that the economic transition toward a market economy increases the efficiency of firms. We study 32 Polish electricity distribution companies between 1997 and 2002, by applying common benchmarking methods to the panel: the non‐parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA), the free disposal hull (FDH), and, as a parametric approach, the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). We then measure and decompose productivity change with Malmquist indices. We find that the technical efficiency of the companies has indeed increased during the transition, while allocative efficiency has deteriorated. We also find significantly increasing returns to scale, suggesting that the regulatory authority should allow companies to merge into larger units.     

THE MICRO‐DYNAMICS OF CATCH‐UP IN INDONESIAN PAPER MANUFACTURING

In this study we analyze the micro‐dynamics of catch‐up in Indonesian paper manufacturing, using a two‐country plant‐level dataset for the period 1975–97. We apply data envelopment analysis (DEA) to measure to what extent Indonesian paper mills are catching up with Finnish mills in terms of technical efficiency. Three questions are addressed: What is the distribution of Indonesian plant technical efficiency vis‐à‐vis the technological frontier? What is the role of entry, exit, and survival in Indonesia for catch‐up in the paper industry as a whole? In what ways do catching‐up plants in Indonesia differ from non‐catching‐up plants? We find that on average the Indonesian paper industry moved closer to the technological frontier during the 1990s. However, catch‐up has been a highly localized process in which only a few large establishments have achieved near best‐practice performance, while most other plants have stayed behind.