Summary This paper uses stochastic frontier analysis to examine whether there is a trade-off between outreach to the poor and efficiency of microfinance institutions (MFIs). We find convincing evidence that outreach is negatively related to efficiency of MFIs. More specifically, we find that...

This paper uses stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to examine whether there is a trade-off between outreach to the poor and efficiency of microfinance institutions (MFIs). Using a sample of more than 1,300 observations, our study suggests that outreach and efficiency of MFIs are indeed...

This paper investigates the impact of financial reform on bank efficiency. More specifically, we distinguish between financial liberalization measures and measures of the quality of bank regulation measures, and study their relationship to bank efficiency separately. Moreover, we analyze whether...

This paper uses stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to examine whether there is a trade-off between outreach to the poor and efficiency of microfinance institutions (MFIs). Using a sample of more than 1,300 observations, our study suggests that outreach and efficiency of MFIs are indeed...

Stochastic frontier models all need an assumption on the distributional form of the (in)efficiency component. Generally this efficiency component is assumed to be half normally, truncated normally, or exponentially distributed. This paper shows that the exponential distribution is, just like the...

type="main" xml:lang="en" <title type="main">Abstract</title> <p>This article investigates the impact of institutions on bank efficiency and technology, using a stochastic frontier analysis of a data set of 7,959 banks across 136 countries over 10 years. The results confirm the importance of well-developed institutions for...</p>

This paper contributes to the literature on foreign ownership and bank efficiency by examining whether the efficiency of foreign banks depends on the institutional quality of the host country and on institutional differences between the home and host country. Using stochastic frontier analysis...