Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
From the reviews of the second edition: "The authors introduce the four major methods economists use to analyze efficiency and productivity: econometric estimation of average response, index numbers, data envelopment analysis (DEA), and stochastic frontier analysis. They intend the book primarily as a text for students in economics and also for students in other disciplines, such as business administration. ... On the whole, I rate the book as excellent ... ." (Jamshed A. Modi, Interfaces, Vol. 37 (2), 2007)
Synopsis
The second edition of this book has been written for the same audience as the first edition. It is designed to be a "first port of call" for people wishing to study efficiency and productivity analysis. The book provides an accessible introduction to the four principal methods involved: econometric estimation of average response models; index numbers; data envelopment analysis (DEA); and stochastic firontier analysis (SFA). For each method, we provide a detailed introduction to the basic concepts, give some simple numerical examples, discuss some of the more important extensions to the basic methods, and provide references for further reading. In addition, we provide a number of detailed empirical applications using real-world data. The book can be used as a textbook or as a reference text. As a textbook, it probably contains too much material to cover in a single semester, so most instructors will want to design a course around a subset of chapters. For example, Chapter 2 is devoted to a review of production economics and could probably be skipped in a course for graduate economics majors. However, it should prove useful to undergraduate students and those doing a major in another field, such as business management or health studies.
Synopsis
This Second Edition of AN INTRODUCTION TO EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY ANALYSIS provides a significant revision of the popular First Edition that was published in 1998. The principle elements of the First Edition have been retained. It remains the only book that provides a comprehensive and unified introduction to the main techniques used in this field. Namely, index number methods, data envelopment analysis (DEA) and econometric techniques, including stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). For each technique the basic methods are carefully described with the aid of numerous diagrams, simple empirical examples and computer output listings. Following this the more advanced aspects of each technique are then discussed.
Table of Contents
List of Figures List of Tables Preface 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Some Informal Definitions 1.3 Overview of Methods 1.4 Outline of Chapters 1.5 What is Your Economics Background? 2: REVIEW OF PRODUCTION ECONOMICS 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Production Functions 2.3 Transformation Functions 2.4 Cost Functions 2.5 Revenue Functions 2.6 Profit Functions 2.7 Conclusions 3: PRODUCTIVITY AND EFFICIENCY MEASUREMENT CONCEPTS 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Set Theoretic Representation of a Production Technology 3.3 Output and Input Distance Functions 3.4 Efficiency Measurement using Distance, Cost and Revenue Functions 3.5 Measuring Productivity and Productivity Change 3.6 Conclusions 4: INDEX NUMBERS AND PRODUCTIVITY MEASUREMENT 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Conceptual Framework and Notation 4.3 Formulae for Price Index Numbers 4.4 Quantity Index Numbers 4.5 Properties of Index Numbers: The Test Approach 4.6 The Economic-Theoretic Approach 4.7 A Simple Numerical Example 4.8 Tansitivity in Multilateral Comparisons 4.9 TFP Change Measurement Using Index Numbers 4.10 Empirical Application: Australian National Railways 4.11 Conclusions 5: DATA AND MEASUREMENT ISSUES 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Outputs 5.3 Inputs 5.4 Prices 5.5 Comparisons over time 5.6 Output aggregates for sectoral and economy-wide comparisons 5.7 Cross-country comparisons of productivity 5.8 Data editing and errors 5.9 Conclusions 6: DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS 6.1 Introduction 6.2 The Constant Returns to Scale DEA Model 6.3 The Variable Returns to Scale Model and Scale Efficiencies 6.4 Input and Output Orientations 6.5 Conclusions 7: ADDITIONAL TOPICS ON DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSTS 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Price Information and Allocative Efficiency 7.3 Non-Discretionary Variables 7.4 Adjusting for the Environment 7.5 Input Congestion 7.6 Treatment of Slacks 7.7 Additional Methods 7.8 Empirical Application: Australian Universities 7.9 Conclusions 8: ECONOMETRIC ESTIMATION OF PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Production, Cost and Profit Functions 8.3 Single Equation Estimation 8.4 Imposing Equality Constraints 8.5 Hypothesis Testing 8.6 Systems Estimation 8.7 Inequality Constraints 8.8 The Bayesian Approach 8.9 Simulation Methods 8.10 Conclusion 9: STOCHASTIC FRONTIER ANALYSIS 9.1 Introduction 9.2 The Stochastic Production Frontier 9.3 Estimating the Parameters 9.4 Predicting Technical Efficiency 9.5 Hypothesis Testing 9.6 Conclusions 10: ADDITIONAL TOPICS ON STOCHASTIC FRONTIER ANALYSIS 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Distance Functions 10.3 Cost Frontiers 10.4 Decomposing Cost Efficiency 10.5 Scale Efficiency 10.6 Panel Data Models 10.7 Accounting for the Production Environment 10.8 The Bayesian Approach 10.9 Conclusions 11: THE CALCULATION AND DECOMPOSITION OF PRODUCTIVITY CHANGE USING FRONTIER METHODS 11.1 Introduction 11.2 The Malmquist TFP Index and Panel Data 11.3 Calculation using DEA Frontiers 11.4 Calculation using SFA Frontiers 11.5 An Empirical Application 11.6 Conclusions 12: CONCLUSIONS 12.1 Summary of Methods 12.2 Relative Merits of the Methods 12.3 Some Final Points Appendix 1: Computer Software Appendix 2: Philippines Rice Data References Author Index Subject Index