Malmquist Indexes Using a Geometric Distance Function (GDF). Application to a Sample of Portuguese Bank Branches

Traditional approaches to calculate total factor productivity (TFP) change through Malmquist indexes rely on distance functions. In this paper we show that the use of distance functions as a means to calculate TFP change may introduce some bias in the analysis, and therefore we propose a procedure that calculates TFP change through observed values only. Our total TFP change is then decomposed into efficiency change, technological change, and a residual effect. This decomposition makes use of a non-oriented measure in order to avoid problems associated with the traditional use of radial oriented measures, especially when variable returns to scale technologies are to be compared. The proposed approach is applied in this paper to a sample of Portuguese bank branches.     

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。     

中国粮食生产资源配置效率及其区域差异——基于动态Malmquist指数的经验

提高生活水平是人类社会永恒的主题,而资源配置的有效性是保证这一主题实现的必要手段。文章基于非参数生产前沿面理论,将资源配置效率分解为规模效率、纯技术效率和要素可处置度,分析中国粮食流通体制市场化以来,粮食生产资源配置效率及其时空特征、变化态势以及主要制约因素。结果表明,全国及其三大流域粮食生产资源投入要素并没有得到充分利用;但中国粮食生产资源配置效率的平均水平是上升和改善的;中国及其三大流域制约粮食生产资源配置效率的因素是产出规模效率。因此,政府应该加大力度以提高粮食生产资源配置效率,加快农业剩余劳动力转移,有效消除制约中国粮食生产资源配置效率的因素,最大程度地发挥规模效益;同时还应根据市场化进程中我国粮食生产所表现出来的新特点,适时做出进一步激励粮食生产、最大程度提高资源配置效率的政策安排,同时这也是弥补市场失灵、稳定粮价、促进粮食高产稳产的有效手段。     

环境规制竞争对经济增长效率的影响:基于省级面板数据分析

利用1992-2008年中国31个省级面板数据,检验了环境规制竞争对生产率增长及其构成的影响。结果发现,SO2减排对生产率增长及其构成有正向影响,说明SO2的减排竞争将会促进经济增长效率的提高。相反,工业COD减排对生产率增长及其构成存在不利的作用。这种不利影响不是由省际间环境规制竞争引起,而是由废水治理策略不当造成的。这些研究结果似乎表明,环境规制竞争并非是发展地方经济的"良策"。     

The Impact of Deregulation during 1990–1997 on Banking in Austria

The operating environment for banking in Austriachanged substantially during 1990–1997. The changes during the periodcan be seen as a gradualadjustment towards adherence to European banking standards, which becamea legal requirement on Austria's entry, in 1995, into the European Union. Inthis paper, we investigate the relative performance of Austrian banksduring this period and thereby test the hypothesis of increasedcompetition. The study reveals that Aktiengesellschaften hadconsistent productivity improvement over the period, Sparkassen,and Volksbanken exhibited a turnaround in productivity in 1997,and Raiffeisenbanken experienced consistent productivity decline.Overall, Austrian banks experienced a decline in average efficiencyand productivity until 1996 with slight improvements in 1997. Thestudy reveals evidence of product diversification rather thanincreased price competition; a decrease in the spread of prices paidfor inputs indicates increased competitiveness over the period, whichcan be attributed to deregulation brought about by EU-membership.     

中国主要旅游公司运营动态效率探析

选取中国旅游业中的10家上市公司为代表,将其2005-2008年的经营数据作为指标值进行DEA计算,分析各公司的技术效率、纯技术效率、规模效率、投入与产出松弛量以及Malmquist生产力指数可以发现,旅游业上市公司的综合效率不高,并且在效率上存在显著差异。应从提高现有资源的利用效率、加强现有资源的管理等方面提高中国旅游业的经营效率,实现产出的最大化。     

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.     

我国农产品物流效率的实证分析——基于农产品主产区的省级面板数据

利用2005-2010年农产品主产区的省际面板数据,运用基于DEA的Malmquist指数分析法对我国粮食主产区的农产品物流效率进行测度,在此基础上,通过对Malmquist指数进行分解,从技术变化、技术效率、纯技术效率和规模效率等方面出发,找到影响我国农产品物流效率的主要因素.     

Evaluating the comparative performance of countries of the Middle East and North Africa: A DEA application

Over the past few decades, countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have achieved varying levels of economic development. In this paper, data envelopment analysis (DEA) is employed to study the comparative performance of selected MENA countries. For 1999, our DEA identified four of the 18 countries studied as the most efficient: Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. All are from the Middle East, with three being members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Yemen was rated as the least efficient of all countries considered in the analysis. A regression analysis showed that the efficiency scores have a significant relationship with the richness of the countries (in terms of GNP per capita) but do not have a significant relationship with the size of the countries (in terms of population). Further, a time-series analysis using the Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) indicated that the MENA countries achieved higher values of desirable attributes, and lower values of undesirable attributes, in 1999 compared to 1998. During 1998-1999, technology change contributed more to the improvement of MPI than did technical efficiency change.