Measuring higher education performance in Brazil : government indicators of performance vs <i>ideal solution</i> efficiency measures

Purpose: This study extends the educational institutions' performance and efficiency literature by examining Brazil's Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology (FIEST), which consists of educational units throughout the country that span several levels of education. Design/methodology/approach: The authors build and analyze a covariance matrix consisting of both a group of efficiency measures and a group of performance indicators used by Brazil's Ministry of Education (BME). The values in the covariance matrix are maximized through application of the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), in which the weights of each variable are optimized in order to capture the direction of the relationship between the two sets of efficiency measures. Findings: Although the authors find that the collective efficiency of the educational units analyzed did not change during the period of study, the analysis reveals that government indicators of performance do not exhibit a strong relationship to the ideal solution efficiency measures used in this study. Originality/value: This study extends the educational institution efficiency literature by examining Brazil's FIEST, which consists of 40 educational units throughout the country that spans several levels of education, from upper high school vocational courses to higher degrees.