This note shows how the linear programs needed to compute cost and revenue functions under constant returns to scale and a single output or input, respectively, can be replaced with a more efficient enumeration algorithm. A numerical example illustrates this algorithm

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the sensitivity of a recently proposed non-parametric approach to technical efficiency measurement. Using a data set of Belgian municipalities, we analyze the sensitivity of the Free Disposal Hull (FDH) approach with respect to the number of input and...

The present study fills a gap between the benchmarking literature and multi-output based efficiency and productivity studies by proposing a benchmarking framework to analyze total factor productivity (TFP). Different specifications of the Hicks-Moorsteen TFP index are tailored for specific...

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, in the framework of the strategic groups' literature, it analyzes changes in productivity and efficiency of Spanish private and savings banks over an eight-year period (1998-2006). Second, by adapting the decomposition of the Malmquist productivity...

This note proposes a new decomposition of the Malmquist productivity index to account for changes in plant capacity utilisation. Using a primal, non-parametric specification of technology, the Malmquist index is decomposed into technical efficiency change, variations in plant capacity...

This paper explores a selection of recently proposed bootstrapping techniques to estimate non-parametric convex (DEA) cost frontiers and efficiency scores for transit firms. Using a sample of Norwegian bus operators, the key results can be summarised as follows: (i) the bias implied by...

This article provides a comprehensive survey of the literature on production and cost frontiers for public transit operators, and it evaluates the contributions of frontier analysis to our understanding of the performance of the public transport sector. We first succinctly contrast best practice...