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Performance Indicators and Efficiency Measurement in Public Libraries

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  • Andrew Worthington

Abstract

A sample of one hundred and sixty‐eight New South Wales local government libraries is used to analyse the efficiency measures derived from the non‐parametric technique of data envelopment analysis. Depending upon the assumptions employed, 9.5 per cent of local governments were judged to be overall technically efficient in the provision of library services, 47.6 per cent as pure technically efficient, and 10.1 per cent as scale efficient. The study also analyses the posited linkages between comparative performance indicators, productive performance and non‐discretionary environmental factors under these different model formulations. The results indicate that the presence of exogenous factors and scale effects account for a major portion of the differences in observed efficiency between different groups of local governments.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Worthington, 1999. "Performance Indicators and Efficiency Measurement in Public Libraries," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 32(1), pages 31-42, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ausecr:v:32:y:1999:i:1:p:31-42
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-8462.00091
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    Cited by:

    1. Skica Tomasz & Leśniowska-Gontarz Małgorzata & Miszczyńska Katarzyna, 2019. "Measuring the Efficiency of Polish Municipalities – Data Envelopment Analysis Approach," South East European Journal of Economics and Business, Sciendo, vol. 14(2), pages 54-66, December.
    2. Nana Zubek & Christian H.C.A. Henning, 2016. "Local Government, Spatial Spillovers and the Absorption of EU Structural Funds," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(2), pages 368-397, June.
    3. Simon, Jose & Simon, Clara & Arias, Alicia, 2011. "Changes in productivity of Spanish university libraries," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 578-588, October.
    4. Amir B. Ferreira Neto & Joshua C. Hall, 2019. "Economies of scale and governance of library systems: evidence from West Virginia," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 237-253, September.
    5. Francesco Porcelli, 2014. "Electoral accountability and local government efficiency: quasi-experimental evidence from the Italian health care sector reforms," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 221-251, August.
    6. Amir Borges Ferreira Neto, 2023. "Do public libraries impact local labour markets? Evidence from Appalachia," Spatial Economic Analysis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 216-238, April.
    7. lo Storto, Corrado, 2020. "Performance evaluation of social service provision in Italian major municipalities using Network Data Envelopment Analysis," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    8. Vrabková, Iveta, 2019. "Models of static and dynamic technical efficiency of municipal libraries in the Czech Republic," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    9. Jeffrey Andrew Hemmeter, 2006. "Estimating Public Library Efficiency Using Stochastic Frontiers," Public Finance Review, , vol. 34(3), pages 328-348, May.
    10. Del Barrio-Tellado, María José & Gómez-Vega, Mafalda & Gómez-Zapata, Jonathan Daniel & Herrero-Prieto, Luis César, 2021. "Urban public libraries: Performance analysis using dynamic-network-DEA," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    11. Mushtaq Taleb & Ruzelan Khalid & Ali Emrouznejad & Razamin Ramli, 2023. "Environmental efficiency under weak disposability: an improved super efficiency data envelopment analysis model with application for assessment of port operations considering NetZero," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(7), pages 6627-6656, July.
    12. Francesco Porcelli, 2009. "Effects of fiscal decentralisation and electoral accountability efficiency evidence from the Italian health care sector," Working Papers 2009/29, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    13. Del Barrio-Tellado, María José & Gómez-Vega, Mafalda & Herrero-Prieto, Luis César, 2023. "Performance of cultural heritage institutions: A regional perspective," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 87(PB).
    14. Hammond, Christopher J., 2009. "The effect of organisational change on UK public library efficiency," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(1), pages 286-295, September.
    15. Francesco Porcelli, 2009. "Effects of fiscal decentralisation and electoral accountability efficiency evidence from the Italian health care sector," Working Papers 2009/29, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    16. Sacit Hadi Akdede & Yigit Kazancoglu, 2006. "Efficiency in Turkish State Libraries a Data Envelopment Analysis Application," Papers of the Annual IUE-SUNY Cortland Conference in Economics, in: Oguz Esen & Ayla Ogus (ed.), Proceedings of the Conference on Human and Economic Resources, pages 72-81, Izmir University of Economics.
    17. Reichmann, Gerhard & Sommersguter-Reichmann, Margit, 2006. "University library benchmarking: An international comparison using DEA," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(1), pages 131-147, March.
    18. Gregory Gilpin & Ezra Karger & Peter Nencka, 2021. "The Returns to Public Library Investment," Working Paper Series WP-2021-06, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, revised 20 Jul 2021.
    19. Geys, Benny & Moesen, Wim, 2008. "Exploring sources of local government technical inefficiency: evidence from Flemish municipalities [Ursachenforschung zur technischen Ineffizienz kommunaler Verwaltungen: Evidenz von flämischen Gem," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Market Processes and Governance SP II 2008-18, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    20. Zahoor Khan & Jamalludin Sulaiman, 2015. "Social and Financial Efficiency of Microfinance Institutions in Pakistan," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 54(4), pages 389-403.
    21. Changhee Kim & Hyunjung Kim & Kanghwa Choi, 2020. "Efficiency Analysis of Public Library Services Based on Establishing Entity and Outsourcing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-15, November.
    22. James Fogarty & Amin Mugera, 2013. "Local Government Efficiency: Evidence from Western Australia," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 46(3), pages 300-311, September.
    23. Andrew Worthington & Brian Dollery, 2000. "Efficiency Measurement in the Local Public Sector: Econometric and Mathematical Programming Frontier Techniques," School of Economics and Finance Discussion Papers and Working Papers Series 078, School of Economics and Finance, Queensland University of Technology.
    24. Fogarty, James Joseph & Mugera, Amin W., 2011. "Local Government Efficiency in Western Australia," Working Papers 117072, University of Western Australia, School of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    25. Kang, Hee Jay & Kim, Changhee & Choi, Kanghwa, 2024. "Combining bootstrap data envelopment analysis with social networks for rank discrimination and suitable potential benchmarks," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 312(1), pages 283-297.

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