IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/jnlbes/v34y2016i3p435-456.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Testing Hypotheses in Nonparametric Models of Production

Author

Listed:
  • Alois Kneip
  • Léopold Simar
  • Paul W. Wilson

Abstract

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) and free disposal hull (FDH) estimators are widely used to estimate efficiency of production. Practitioners use DEA estimators far more frequently than FDH estimators, implicitly assuming that production sets are convex. Moreover, use of the constant returns to scale (CRS) version of the DEA estimator requires an assumption of CRS. Although bootstrap methods have been developed for making inference about the efficiencies of individual units, until now no methods exist for making consistent inference about differences in mean efficiency across groups of producers or for testing hypotheses about model structure such as returns to scale or convexity of the production set. We use central limit theorem results from our previous work to develop additional theoretical results permitting consistent tests of model structure and provide Monte Carlo evidence on the performance of the tests in terms of size and power. In addition, the variable returns to scale version of the DEA estimator is proved to attain the faster convergence rate of the CRS-DEA estimator under CRS. Using a sample of U.S. commercial banks, we test and reject convexity of the production set, calling into question results from numerous banking studies that have imposed convexity assumptions. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

Suggested Citation

  • Alois Kneip & Léopold Simar & Paul W. Wilson, 2016. "Testing Hypotheses in Nonparametric Models of Production," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(3), pages 435-456, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:jnlbes:v:34:y:2016:i:3:p:435-456
    DOI: 10.1080/07350015.2015.1049747
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/07350015.2015.1049747
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/07350015.2015.1049747?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Simar, Léopold & Vanhems, Anne & Wilson, Paul W., 2012. "Statistical inference for DEA estimators of directional distances," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 220(3), pages 853-864.
    2. GIJBELS, Irène & MAMMEN, Enno & PARK, Byeong U. & SIMAR, Léopold, 1997. "On estimation of monotone and concave frontier functions," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 1997031, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    3. Charnes, A. & Cooper, W. W. & Rhodes, E., 1978. "Measuring the efficiency of decision making units," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 2(6), pages 429-444, November.
    4. Simar, Léopold & Vanhems, Anne, 2012. "Probabilistic characterization of directional distances and their robust versions," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 166(2), pages 342-354.
    5. Léopold Simar & Paul Wilson, 2000. "Statistical Inference in Nonparametric Frontier Models: The State of the Art," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 49-78, January.
    6. Kneip, Alois & Park, Byeong U. & Simar, Léopold, 1998. "A Note On The Convergence Of Nonparametric Dea Estimators For Production Efficiency Scores," Econometric Theory, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(6), pages 783-793, December.
    7. Abdelaati Daouia & Léopold Simar & Paul W. Wilson, 2017. "Measuring firm performance using nonparametric quantile-type distances," Econometric Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(1-3), pages 156-181, March.
    8. R. D. Banker & A. Charnes & W. W. Cooper, 1984. "Some Models for Estimating Technical and Scale Inefficiencies in Data Envelopment Analysis," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(9), pages 1078-1092, September.
    9. Park, B.U. & Jeong, S.-O. & Simar, L., 2010. "Asymptotic distribution of conical-hull estimators of directional edges," LIDAM Reprints ISBA 2010025, Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Statistics, Biostatistics and Actuarial Sciences (ISBA).
    10. Afriat, Sidney N, 1972. "Efficiency Estimation of Production Function," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 13(3), pages 568-598, October.
    11. Kneip, Alois & Simar, Léopold & Wilson, Paul W., 2008. "Asymptotics And Consistent Bootstraps For Dea Estimators In Nonparametric Frontier Models," Econometric Theory, Cambridge University Press, vol. 24(6), pages 1663-1697, December.
    12. S.‐O. Jeong & B. U. Park, 2006. "Large Sample Approximation of the Distribution for Convex‐Hull Estimators of Boundaries," Scandinavian Journal of Statistics, Danish Society for Theoretical Statistics;Finnish Statistical Society;Norwegian Statistical Association;Swedish Statistical Association, vol. 33(1), pages 139-151, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Léopold Simar & Paul W. Wilson, 2015. "Statistical Approaches for Non-parametric Frontier Models: A Guided Tour," International Statistical Review, International Statistical Institute, vol. 83(1), pages 77-110, April.
    2. Caitlin O’Loughlin & Léopold Simar & Paul W. Wilson, 2023. "Methodologies for assessing government efficiency," Chapters, in: António Afonso & João Tovar Jalles & Ana Venâncio (ed.), Handbook on Public Sector Efficiency, chapter 4, pages 72-101, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Kneip, Alois & Simar, Léopold & Wilson, Paul W., 2015. "When Bias Kills The Variance: Central Limit Theorems For Dea And Fdh Efficiency Scores," Econometric Theory, Cambridge University Press, vol. 31(2), pages 394-422, April.
    4. Valentin Zelenyuk, 2019. "Data Envelopment Analysis and Business Analytics: The Big Data Challenges and Some Solutions," CEPA Working Papers Series WP072019, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    5. Amir Moradi-Motlagh & Ali Emrouznejad, 2022. "The origins and development of statistical approaches in non-parametric frontier models: a survey of the first two decades of scholarly literature (1998–2020)," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 318(1), pages 713-741, November.
    6. Amy Apon & Linh Ngo & Michael Payne & Paul Wilson, 2015. "Assessing the effect of high performance computing capabilities on academic research output," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 283-312, February.
    7. Zelenyuk, Valentin, 2020. "Aggregation of inputs and outputs prior to Data Envelopment Analysis under big data," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 282(1), pages 172-187.
    8. Simar, Leopold & Wilson, Paul, 2018. "Technical, Allocative and Overall Efficiency: Inference and Hypothesis Testing," LIDAM Discussion Papers ISBA 2018018, Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Statistics, Biostatistics and Actuarial Sciences (ISBA).
    9. Léopold Simar & Paul W. Wilson, 2020. "Hypothesis testing in nonparametric models of production using multiple sample splits," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 53(3), pages 287-303, June.
    10. Simar, Léopold & Wilson, Paul W., 2020. "Technical, allocative and overall efficiency: Estimation and inference," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 282(3), pages 1164-1176.
    11. Michali, Maria & Emrouznejad, Ali & Dehnokhalaji, Akram & Clegg, Ben, 2023. "Subsampling bootstrap in network DEA," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 305(2), pages 766-780.
    12. Sickles, Robin C. & Song, Wonho & Zelenyuk, Valentin, 2018. "Econometric Analysis of Productivity: Theory and Implementation in R," Working Papers 18-008, Rice University, Department of Economics.
    13. Cinzia Daraio & Léopold Simar & Paul W. Wilson, 2020. "Fast and efficient computation of directional distance estimators," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 288(2), pages 805-835, May.
    14. Kneip, Alois & Simar, Léopold & Wilson, Paul W., 2022. "Conical FDH Estimators of General Technologies, with Applications to Returns to Scale and Malmquist Productivity Indices," LIDAM Discussion Papers ISBA 2022024, Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Statistics, Biostatistics and Actuarial Sciences (ISBA).
    15. Simar, Léopold & Vanhems, Anne & Wilson, Paul W., 2012. "Statistical inference for DEA estimators of directional distances," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 220(3), pages 853-864.
    16. Wilson, Paul W., 2018. "Dimension reduction in nonparametric models of production," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 267(1), pages 349-367.
    17. Nguyen, Bao Hoang & Simar, Léopold & Zelenyuk, Valentin, 2022. "Data sharpening for improving central limit theorem approximations for data envelopment analysis–type efficiency estimators," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 303(3), pages 1469-1480.
    18. Pham, Manh D. & Zelenyuk, Valentin, 2019. "Weak disposability in nonparametric production analysis: A new taxonomy of reference technology sets," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 274(1), pages 186-198.
    19. Luis R. Murillo‐Zamorano, 2004. "Economic Efficiency and Frontier Techniques," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(1), pages 33-77, February.
    20. Bao Hoang Nguyen & Valentin Zelenyuk, 2020. "Robust efficiency analysis of public hospitals in Queensland, Australia," CEPA Working Papers Series WP052020, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:jnlbes:v:34:y:2016:i:3:p:435-456. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/UBES20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.