This study applies non-parametric and parametric tests to assess the efficiency of electricity distribution companies in Germany. Traditional issues in electricity sector benchmarking are addressed, such as the role of scale effects and optimal utility size, as well as new evidence specific to...

This study examines the regional divide for Mexican manufacturing. Mexico's north-south disparity is widely noted, but rarely analyzed empirically and at detailed regional level. We use a panel of municipality-level data to estimate regional production functions. An important contribution is the...

This study examines the regional divide for Mexican manufacturing. Mexico's north-south disparity is widely noted, but rarely analyzed empirically and at detailed regional level. We use a panel of municipality-level data to estimate regional production functions. An important contribution is the...

Expenditures devoted to research and development (R&D) are scarce and thus need to be used as efficiently as possible given the financial constraints countries are facing. This paper assesses the relative efficiency of R&D expenditures for 26 OECD member countries and 2 non-member countries. As...

Expenditures devoted to research and development (R&D) are scarce and thus need to be used as efficiently as possible given the financial constraints countries are facing. This article assesses the relative efficiency of R&D expenditures for 26 OECD member countries and two nonmember countries....

In this paper, we provide a comprehensive multivariate cointegration analysis of three parts of the steam coal value chain — export, transport and import prices. The analysis is based on a rich dataset of international coal prices; in particular, we combine data on steam coal prices with...

Recognizing the growing importance of scientific benchmarking in water distribution, we provide a comprehensive survey of the available literature. We begin with a discussion about the (limited) use of benchmarking in the regulation of UK water utilities, and then extend the analysis to...

In this paper, we present a nonparametric comparative efficiency analysis of 179 communal public transport bus companies in Germany (1990-2004). We apply both deterministic data envelopment analysis (DEA) and bootstrapping to test the robustness of our estimates and to test the hypothesis of...