This study investigates the impact of market structure on the performance of banks in Pakistan. It explicitly tests two competing hypotheses: the Structure-Conduct-Performance paradigm and the Efficient Structure Hypothesis, providing insights into whether profitability stems from market...

This paper examines the impact of neighbourhood social interactions on a household's ability to produce their child's scholastic achievement. A time-varying stochastic frontier model and a spatial Durbin model are used to estimate endogenous and contextual neighbourhood effects on household...

Digitization has reshaped corporate innovation. However, few studies have explored how companies can fully incentivize their human capital in the digital transformation process to improve innovation capabilities. To address this gap, this study proposes a configurational framework that...

Ports are the major gateways of cities. Background: Sustainable growth requires ports to prioritize efficiency while balancing economic, social, and environmental goals. There is limited synthesized evidence on the sustainability evaluation of ports, including those of North America. In this...

The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) leads to higher electricity prices and thus higher costs for electricity-intensive industries in the EU, reducing their competitiveness compared to those in non-EU countries. This disparity may result in carbon leakage, where production shifts abroad,...

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented economic disruptions, raising critical questions about the resilience and adaptability of macroeconomic productivity across countries. This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on macroeconomic efficiency and productivity dynamics in 37 OECD...

This study evaluates the operational efficiency of accredited private healthcare facilities in Italy, a sector increasingly complementing the public National Health Service. Unlike previous studies that aggregate public and private providers, this research focuses exclusively on private...

Background: Gold mining is a critical part of the industry of Central Asia, contributing significantly to regional economic growth. However, gold production management faces numerous challenges, including adopting innovative technologies such as AI, using improved logistical equipment, resolving...

Technical efficiency measures the performance of an observation unit in generating outputs effectively. The stochastic production frontier (SPF), which is a commonly used method for this purpose, determines how close a unit is to achieving maximum output based on its inputs. However, the...

Developing low-carbon and efficient power systems is critical for energy security in the global warming context. We address this issue by focusing on the productivity impact of a decarbonization policy in China's thermal power sector-namely, the "Constructing Large Units and Restricting Small...

This study provides the first global, plant-level analysis of technical and environmental efficiency in steel production using data from 143 mills across 50 countries (2019–2023). Using a Stochastic Directional Distance Function, we estimate plants’ distance to the frontier and compute...

Achieving universal and equitable access to water and sanitation remains a critical challenge in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This paper assesses the efficiency of public spending in providing water and sanitation services across Colombian municipalities. Efficiency levels are...

The objective of this study is to conduct an analysis of the efficiency and productivity of a thermal power generation plant in the Indian public sector. This analysis has been carried out using the non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology, focusing on the period from 2014-15...

Energy inefficiency remains a major constraint on firm productivity in Nigeria, particularly in the manufacturing and service sectors, where unreliable and costly electricity supply undermines competitiveness. This study contributes to the literature by examining the relationship between energy...

Purpose This study explores the effect of local budget retention rate changes (RER) on total factor productivity (TFP) and its components in Vietnam. Design/methodology/approach The study employs a two-system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator and data from 2012 to 2019 across all 63...

In this paper, I explore the spillover effects of frontier firms on other firms in Türkiye, using a detailed administrative dataset with firm-level data on balance sheets, inter-firm transactions, and employment. I review key production function estimators, evaluate their assumptions and...