This book covers recent advances in efficiency evaluations, most notably Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) methods. It introduces the underlying theories, shows how to make the relevant calculations and discusses applications. The aim is to make the reader aware of the pros and cons of the different methods and to show how to use these methods in both standard and non-standard cases. Several software packages have been developed to solve some of the most common DEA and SFA models. This book relies on R, a free, open source software environment for statistical computing and graphics. This enables the reader to solve not only standard problems, but also many other problem variants. Using R, one can focus on understanding the context and developing a good model. One is not restricted to predefined model variants and to a one-size-fits-all approach. To facilitate the use of R, the authors have developed an R package called Benchmarking, which implements the main methods within both DEA and SFA. The book uses mathematical formulations of models and assumptions, but it de-emphasizes the formal proofs - in part by placing them in appendices -- or by referring to the original sources. Moreover, the book emphasizes the usage of the theories and the interpretations of the mathematical formulations. It includes a series of small examples, graphical illustrations, simple extensions and questions to think about. Also, it combines the formal models with less formal economic and organizational thinking. Last but not least it discusses some larger applications with significant practical impacts, including the design of benchmarking-based regulations of energy companies in different European countries, and the development of merger control programs for competition authorities.

This handbook covers DEA topics that are extensively used and solidly based. The purpose of the handbook is to (1) describe and elucidate the state of the field and (2), where appropriate, extend the frontier of DEA research. It defines the state-of-the-art of DEA methodology and its uses. This handbook is intended to represent a milestone in the progression of DEA. Written by experts, who are generally major contributors to the topics to be covered, it includes a comprehensive review and discussion of basic DEA models, which, in the present issue extensions to the basic DEA methods, and a collection of DEA applications in the areas of banking, engineering, health care, and services. The handbook's chapters are organized into two categories: (i) basic DEA models, concepts, and their extensions, and (ii) DEA applications. First edition contributors have returned to update their work. The second edition includes updated versions of selected first edition chapters. New chapters have been added on: different approaches with no need for a priori choices of weights (called “multipliers) that reflect meaningful trade-offs, construction of static and dynamic DEA technologies, slacks-based model and its extensions, DEA models for DMUs that have internal structures network DEA that can be used for measuring supply chain operations, Selection of DEA applications in the service sector with a focus on building a conceptual framework, research design and interpreting results.

Introduction to Data Envelopment Analysis and Its Uses: With DEA-Solver Software and References has been carefully designed by the authors to provide a systematic introduction to DEA and its uses as a multifaceted tool for evaluating problems in a variety of contexts. The authors have been involved in DEA's development from the beginning. William Cooper (with Abraham Charnes and Edwardo Rhodes) is a founder of DEA. Lawrence Seiford and Kaoru Tone have been actively involved as researchers and practitioners from its earliest beginnings. All have been deeply involved in uses of DEA in practical applications as well as in the development of its basic theory and methodologies. The result is a textbook grounded in authority, experience and substance.

Modern textbook presentations of production economics typically treat producers as successful optimizers. Conventional econometric practice has generally followed this paradigm, and least squares based regression techniques have been used to estimate production, cost, profit and other functions. In such a framework deviations from maximum output, from minimum cost and cost minimizing input demands, and from maximum profit and profit maximizing output supplies and input demands, are attributed exclusively to random statistical noise. However casual empiricism and the business press both make persuasive cases for the argument that, although producers may indeed attempt to optimize, they do not always succeed. This book develops econometric techniques for the estimation of production, cost and profit frontiers, and for the estimation of the technical and economic efficiency with which producers approach these frontiers. Since these frontiers envelop rather than intersect the data, and since the authors continue to maintain the traditional econometric belief in the presence of external forces contributing to random statistical noise, the work is titled Stochastic Frontier Analysis.

This proceedings volume examines the state-of-the art of productivity and efficiency analysis and adds to the existing research by bringing together a selection of the best papers from the 8th North American Productivity Workshop (NAPW). It also aims to analyze world-wide perspectives on challenges that local economies and institutions may face when changes in productivity are observed. The volume comprises of seventeen papers that deal with productivity measurement, productivity growth, dynamics of productivity change, measures of labor productivity, measures of technical efficiency in different sectors, frontier analysis, measures of performance, industry instability and spillover effects. These papers are relevant to academia, but also to public and private sectors in terms of the challenges firms, financial institutions, governments and individuals may face when dealing with economic and education related activities that lead to increase or decrease of productivity. The North American Productivity Workshop brings together academic scholars and practitioners in the field of productivity and efficiency analysis from all over the world. It is a four day conference exploring topics related to productivity, production theory and efficiency measurement in economics, management science, operations research, public administration, and related fields. The papers in this volume also address general topics as health, energy, finance, agriculture, utilities, and economic dev elopment, among others. The editors are comprised of the 2014 local organizers, program committee members, and celebrated guest conference speakers.

This book presents the underlying theory, model development, and applications of network Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in a systematic way. The field of network DEA extends and complements conventional DEA by considering not only inputs and outputs when measuring system efficiency, but also the internal structure of the system being analyzed. By analyzing the efficiency of individual internal components, and more particularly by studying the effects of relationships among components which are modeled and implemented by means of various network structures, the “network DEA” approach is able to help identify and manage the specific components that contribute inefficiencies into the overall systems. This relatively new approach comprises an important analytical tool based on mathematical programming techniques, with valuable implications to production and operations management. The existing models for measuring the efficiency of systems of specific network structures are also discussed, and the relationships between the system and component efficiencies are explored. This book should be able to inspire new research and new applications based on the current state of the art. Performance evaluation is an important task in management, and is needed to (i) better understand the past accomplishments of an organization and (ii) plan for its future development. However, this task becomes rather challenging when multiple performance metrics are involved. DEA is a powerful tool to cope with such issues. For systems or operations composed of interrelated processes, managers need to know how the performances of the various processes evaluated and how they are aggregated to form the overall performance of the system. This book provides an advanced exposition on performance evaluation of systems with network structures. It explores the network nature of most production and operation systems, and explains why network analyses are necessary.

Softcover version of the second edition Hardcover. Incorporates a new author, Dr. Chris O'Donnell, who brings considerable expertise to the project in the area of performance measurement. Numerous topics are being added and more applications using real data, as well as exercises at the end of the chapters. Data sets, computer codes and software will be available for download from the web to accompany the volume.