Global public spending efficiency in Tuscan municipalities

The paper presents a Data Envelopment Analysis aimed at studying the efficiency of Tuscan municipalities' public expenditure. Five strategic functions of Tuscan municipalities are first considered carrying out a non-aggregate analysis; then the overall expenditure composition of each municipality and the global spending efficiency are analysed by a proposed composite indicator. The main determinants affecting the municipalities' efficiency were further investigated. In particular, the obtained results may be consistently included in the long-standing debate on the municipal size, proving that the bigger the municipality, the greater its level of public expenditure efficiency.     

Impact of off-farm labor supply on food expenditures of the farm household

Farm households diversify their income sources by working off the farm. This is a risk management strategy that is used by farm households in both developed and developing countries. Income diversification via off-farm work is associated with higher incomes and food consumption. However, little is known about the association between off-farm work and farm household food expenditures. In an effort to bridge this gap, this study attempts to assess the impact of off-farm work decisions by the operator and/or the spouse on the food expenditures of the farm household. Using a nationwide farm household survey in the United States and new econometric method, we find that the decisions of the operator and/or the spouse to work off the farm are significantly interrelated (29%). However, these two decisions affect food expenditures in different ways. The operator’s off-farm work decision is positively related to food expenditures, while the spouse’s decision is negatively associated with expenditures on food by the farm household.     

Use of quadratic terms in Type 2 Tobit models

A Type 2 Tobit model with a common set of regressors in the selection and regression equations is identified by the nonlinearity of the distribution function. The estimates are relatively less precise than in cases where there are at least some distinct regressors in the two equations. In an attempt to overcome this problem, some authors introduce quadratic terms into one or both equations. As this does not add any new statistical information, just a deterministic function of an existing regressor, the sceptic would question how this could improve the reliability of the estimates. This article shows that arbitrary use of quadratics is not without consequence. It increases the chances of getting either multiple roots, no root or a local root where a global does not exist. The nature of this problem is illustrated with Monte Carlo methods as well as several examples from the literature.     

The impact of national macro-environment exogenous variables on airport efficiency

Our paper tests the extent to which airport efficiency is affected by national macro-environmental factors. The literature on airport performance measurement is extensive but has tended to focus mainly on estimating the effects on efficiency from what are mostly endogenous variables. We undertake a two-stage analysis of 59 international airports observations in the Europe and Asia-Pacific regions. The first stage involves the use of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to measure the efficiency of these airports. This is followed by a second stage, where we use a Truncated Regression model that incorporates the Simar and Wilson bootstrapping technique to test the extent to which a set of macro-environmental factors affect airport efficiency. Results reveal that a state's air transport sector output, institutional quality and robustness, the macro-economic environment, safety and security, and human development, all have a significant influence on the performance of airports. The result of this study fills the gap in the literature related to the non-discretionary variables affecting the performance of airports. It also suggests that policymakers and airport managers consider the identified factors when benchmarking airports.     

An environment-adjusted dynamic efficiency analysis of international tourist hotels in Taiwan

The paper is the first study to combine four-stage approach and dynamic data envelopment analysis (DEA) to investigate the efficiencies of 45 international tourist hotels in Taiwan during 2002–2011. Using the four-stage approach of Fried et al. [1999. Incorporating the operating environment into a nonparametric measure of technical efficiency. Journal of Productivity Analysis, 12(3), 249–267] and the dynamic DEA model by Tone and Tsutsui [2010. Dynamic DEA: A slacks-based measure approach. Omega, 38(3), 145–156], the study considers the effects of the external operating environments and carry-over activities between two consecutive terms, and calculates managerial efficiency of international tourism hotels in Taiwan. The empirical results show that dynamic DEA provides more stable pure managerial efficiencies than traditional DEA, reflecting the continuity of the links between terms. Then the study employs Tobit regression to estimate the effects of location, management style, and occupancy rate on input slacks. The location in resort area leads to less slacks of employee and room. The chain system helps reduce slacks in room and area of meal department. The slack of employee and room gets lower while occupancy rate gets higher. After controlling the three external environment variables, the efficiency scores of 28 hotels increase, 9 hotels fall, and other 8 hotels still sustain on the efficient frontier.     

基于数据包络分析方法(DEA-Tobit)的城市电子商务服务业效率评价——以淘宝网为例

利用数据包络分析方法评价浙江11个城市电子商务服务业的效率,从投入产出的角度,评价各城市电子商务服务业竞争力。再将综合效率值作为因变量,城市经济水平、产业规模、工业化水平、教育程度作为自变量进行Tobit回归,研究这4个因素对综合效率的影响程度。结果表明:城市经济水平与产业规模与综合效率相关性显著,均成正相关,工业化水平与教育程度与综合效率相关性不十分显著,且前者成负相关,后者成正相关。     

Land tenure, population pressure, and deforestation in Haiti: The case of Forêt des Pins Reserve

Haiti, with a forest cover estimated at 3% of all land area, has experienced severe degradation of its natural resources and a significant change in its land cover. While deforestation in Haiti is obviously multifaceted, one issue emerges from previous empirical analysis in explaining deforestation: land tenure. This study focuses on the causes of deforestation in Haiti, particularly in Forêt des Pins Reserve, using the annual average area of cleared forest per household as the dependent variable. Data were collected with the use of a survey instrument administered to 243 farm households in 15 villages inside the Reserve. Tobit Regression results reveal that household size, education of head of the household, land tenure regime, and farm labor are important factors affecting land clearing.     

中国电信业效率测评及影响因素分析

本文使用数据包络分析（DEA）方法对我国2005—2009年31个省市的电信业效率进行了测评。在规模报酬不变和规模报酬可变两种情况下测出总效率值、技术效率值和规模效率值,在此基础上分别引入各地区经济发展水平、居民消费能力、电信业对居民生活的影响、技术进步水平、价格上限规制因素以及电信结构重组等因素,采用Tobit回归分别对三种效率值进行解释。分析发现,经济发展水平对整体效率值有显著正影响,居民消费水平对效率值有微弱的正影响,电信业对居民生活的影响对整体效率值有负作用,技术进步对技术效率有较大促进作用,价格上限规制在一定程度上限制了总效率和技术效率,结构重组对总效率和规模效率也有负作用。     

带未知异方差与半线性结构Tobit模型的半参数估计

本文将Tobit模型扩展至同时带未知条件异方差与半线性结构回归函数的场合,并提出一种计算简便的半参数二步估计法。该方法的关键之处在于连续两次施以成对相减变换,并先后消去第一步所得被解释变量非参数条件分位函数中的两类非线性冗余成分(非线性回归函数部分与未知异方差结构)。文章证明了估计量的n-一致性与渐近正态性,并通过Monte Carlo模拟研究了分位点对的选择、扰动项分布类型与样本删尾程度等因素对估计量小样本性质的影响。最后通过国内居民医疗服务利用不平等的实例验证了本文所提的方法。     

食品安全标准促进还是抑制了我国谷物出口贸易?——基于重力模型修正贸易零值的实证研究

食品安全标准既可能促进也可能抑制国际贸易。文章在重力模型的基础上采用Tobit估计处理双边贸易零值,就食品安全标准对我国谷物出口贸易的影响进行了实证分析。结果发现:(1)进口国的食品安全标准对我国谷物出口具有抑制作用,这一结论不随进口国收入水平和食品安全标准度量指标的改变而改变。(2)我国的食品安全标准对我国谷物出口总体而言也具有抑制作用。因此,我国应当完善农产品质量安全保障体系,加强农产品进出口的标准化工作。