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Higher education institutions' costs and efficiency: Taking the decomposition a further step

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  • Johnes, Geraint
  • Johnes, Jill

Abstract

A multiproduct cost function is estimated for English higher education institutions using a panel of data from recent years. The panel approach allows estimation by means of a random parameter stochastic frontier model which provides considerable new insights in that it allows the impact on costs of inter-institutional differences in the cost function itself to be distinguished from inter-institutional differences in efficiency. The approach used here therefore resembles in some respects the non-parametric methods of efficiency evaluation. We report also on measures of average incremental cost of provision and on returns to scale and scope.

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  • Johnes, Geraint & Johnes, Jill, 2009. "Higher education institutions' costs and efficiency: Taking the decomposition a further step," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 107-113, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:28:y:2009:i:1:p:107-113
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    1. Izadi, Hooshang & Johnes, Geraint & Oskrochi, Reza & Crouchley, Robert, 2002. "Stochastic frontier estimation of a CES cost function: the case of higher education in Britain," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 63-71, February.
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    4. 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.
    5. Cooper, Samuel T. & Cohn, Elchanan, 1997. "Estimation of a frontier production function for the South Carolina educational process," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 313-327, June.
    6. Cohn, Elchanan & Rhine, Sherrie L W & Santos, Maria C, 1989. "Institutions of Higher Education as Multi-product Firms: Economies of Scale and Scope," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 71(2), pages 284-290, May.
    7. Johnes, Geraint, 1997. "Costs and Industrial Structure in Contemporary British Higher Education," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 107(442), pages 727-737, May.
    8. Glass, J C & McKillop, Donal G & Hyndman, N, 1995. "Efficiency in the Provision of University Teaching and Research: An Empirical Analysis of UK Universities," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 10(1), pages 61-72, Jan.-Marc.
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    10. Steven B. Caudill, 2003. "Estimating a mixture of stochastic frontier regression models via the em algorithm: A multiproduct cost function application," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 581-598, July.
    11. Geraint Johnes, 2004. "A Fourth Desideratum: The CES Cost Function and the Sustainable Configuration of Multiproduct Firms," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(4), pages 329-332, October.
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