IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ejores/v300y2022i1p269-281.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Procedures for ranking technical and cost efficient units: With a focus on nonconvexity

Author

Listed:
  • Kerstens, Kristiaan
  • Sadeghi, Jafar
  • Toloo, Mehdi
  • Van de Woestyne, Ignace

Abstract

This contribution extends the literature on super-efficiency by focusing on ranking cost-efficient observations. To the best of our knowledge, the focus has always been on technical super-efficiency and this focus on ranking cost-efficient observations may well open up a new topic. Furthermore, since the convexity axiom has both an impact on technical and cost efficiency, we pay a particular attention to the effect of nonconvexity on both super-efficiency notions. Apart from a numerical example, we use a secondary data set guaranteeing replication to illustrate these efficiency and super-efficiency concepts. Two empirical conclusions emerge. First, the cost super-efficiency notion ranks differently from the technical super-efficiency concept. Second, both cost and technical super-efficiency notions rank differently under convex and nonconvex technologies.

Suggested Citation

  • Kerstens, Kristiaan & Sadeghi, Jafar & Toloo, Mehdi & Van de Woestyne, Ignace, 2022. "Procedures for ranking technical and cost efficient units: With a focus on nonconvexity," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 300(1), pages 269-281.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:300:y:2022:i:1:p:269-281
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2021.10.023
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377221721008729
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ejor.2021.10.023?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. Agrell, Per J. & Bogetoft, Peter, 2017. "Regulatory Benchmarking: Models, Analyses and Applications," Data Envelopment Analysis Journal, now publishers, vol. 3(1-2), pages 49-91, November.
    2. Kerstens, Kristiaan & Vanden Eeckaut, Philippe, 1999. "Estimating returns to scale using non-parametric deterministic technologies: A new method based on goodness-of-fit," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 113(1), pages 206-214, February.
    3. Per Andersen & Niels Christian Petersen, 1993. "A Procedure for Ranking Efficient Units in Data Envelopment Analysis," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 39(10), pages 1261-1264, October.
    4. 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.
    5. Walter Briec & Kristiaan Kerstens, 2006. "Input, output and graph technical efficiency measures on non-convex FDH models with various scaling laws: An integrated approach based upon implicit enumeration algorithms," TOP: An Official Journal of the Spanish Society of Statistics and Operations Research, Springer;Sociedad de Estadística e Investigación Operativa, vol. 14(1), pages 135-166, June.
    6. Emrouznejad, Ali & Yang, Guo-liang, 2018. "A survey and analysis of the first 40 years of scholarly literature in DEA: 1978–2016," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 4-8.
    7. Lidia Angulo-Meza & Marcos Lins, 2002. "Review of Methods for Increasing Discrimination in Data Envelopment Analysis," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 116(1), pages 225-242, October.
    8. Aparicio, Juan & Ortiz, Lidia & Pastor, Jesus T., 2017. "Measuring and decomposing profit inefficiency through the Slacks-Based Measure," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 260(2), pages 650-654.
    9. Walter Briec & Kristiaan Kerstens & Philippe Venden Eeckaut, 2004. "Non-convex Technologies and Cost Functions: Definitions, Duality and Nonparametric Tests of Convexity," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 81(2), pages 155-192, February.
    10. Tavakoli, Ibrahim M. & Mostafaee, Amin, 2019. "Free disposal hull efficiency scores of units with network structures," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 277(3), pages 1027-1036.
    11. Kerstens, Kristiaan & Sadeghi, Jafar & Van de Woestyne, Ignace, 2019. "Convex and nonconvex input-oriented technical and economic capacity measures: An empirical comparison," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 276(2), pages 699-709.
    12. W. Briec & K. Kerstens, 2009. "Infeasibility and Directional Distance Functions with Application to the Determinateness of the Luenberger Productivity Indicator," Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, Springer, vol. 141(1), pages 55-73, April.
    13. Aparicio, Juan & Pastor, Jesus T. & Zofio, Jose L., 2015. "How to properly decompose economic efficiency using technical and allocative criteria with non-homothetic DEA technologies," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 240(3), pages 882-891.
    14. 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.
    15. Kumbhakar, Subal C. & Parmeter, Christopher F. & Tsionas, Efthymios G., 2013. "A zero inefficiency stochastic frontier model," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 172(1), pages 66-76.
    16. Tom Puyenbroeck, 1998. "Some Remarks on Modified FDH," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 81-94, January.
    17. Kristiaan Kerstens & Ignace Van De Woestyne, 2014. "Solution Methods For Nonconvex Free Disposal Hull Models: A Review And Some Critical Comments," Asia-Pacific Journal of Operational Research (APJOR), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 31(01), pages 1-13.
    18. Kristiaan Kerstens & Ignace Van de Woestyne, 2021. "Cost functions are nonconvex in the outputs when the technology is nonconvex: convexification is not harmless," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 305(1), pages 81-106, October.
    19. Wesley D. Seitz, 1970. "The Measurement of Efficiency Relative to a Frontier Production Function," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 52(4), pages 505-511.
    20. R. G. Chambers & Y. Chung & R. Färe, 1998. "Profit, Directional Distance Functions, and Nerlovian Efficiency," Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, Springer, vol. 98(2), pages 351-364, August.
    21. Peter Bogetoft, 2000. "DEA and Activity Planning under Asymmetric Information," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 7-48, January.
    22. Ivaldi, Marc, et al, 1996. "Comparing Fourier and Translog Specifications of Multiproduct Technology: Evidence from an Incomplete Panel of French Farmers," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 11(6), pages 649-667, Nov.-Dec..
    23. Banker, Rajiv D. & Chang, Hsihui, 2006. "The super-efficiency procedure for outlier identification, not for ranking efficient units," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 175(2), pages 1311-1320, December.
    24. Dominique Deprins & Léopold Simar & Henry Tulkens, 2006. "Measuring Labor-Efficiency in Post Offices," Springer Books, in: Parkash Chander & Jacques Drèze & C. Knox Lovell & Jack Mintz (ed.), Public goods, environmental externalities and fiscal competition, chapter 0, pages 285-309, Springer.
    25. Seitz, Wesley D, 1971. "Productive Efficiency in the Steam-Electric Generating Industry," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 79(4), pages 878-886, July-Aug..
    26. Zhu, Joe, 1996. "Robustness of the efficient DMUs in data envelopment analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 90(3), pages 451-460, May.
    27. Cooper, W.W. & Pastor, Jesus T. & Aparicio, Juan & Borras, Fernando, 2011. "Decomposing profit inefficiency in DEA through the weighted additive model," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 212(2), pages 411-416, July.
    28. H. David Sherman & George Ladino, 1995. "Managing Bank Productivity Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 25(2), pages 60-73, April.
    29. Kuosmanen, Timo & Post, Thierry, 2001. "Measuring economic efficiency with incomplete price information: With an application to European commercial banks," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 134(1), pages 43-58, October.
    30. Walter Briec & K. Kerstens, 2009. "Infeasibilities and directional distance functions: with application to the determinateness of the luenberger productivity indicator," Post-Print hal-00372560, HAL.
    31. Kuosmanen, Timo & Post, Thierry, 2003. "Measuring economic efficiency with incomplete price information," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(2), pages 454-457, January.
    32. Li, Qi & Maasoumi, Esfandiar & Racine, Jeffrey S., 2009. "A nonparametric test for equality of distributions with mixed categorical and continuous data," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 148(2), pages 186-200, February.
    33. Peter Bogetoft, 1994. "Incentive Efficient Production Frontiers: An Agency Perspective on DEA," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 40(8), pages 959-968, August.
    34. Lawrence Seiford, 1997. "A bibliography for Data Envelopment Analysis (1978-1996)," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 73(0), pages 393-438, October.
    35. Jamasb, T. & Pollitt, M., 2000. "Benchmarking and regulation: international electricity experience," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 9(3), pages 107-130, September.
    36. Agrell, Per J. & Bogetoft, Peter & Tind, Jorgen, 2002. "Incentive plans for productive efficiency, innovation and learning," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(1), pages 1-11, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. An, Qingxian & Tao, Xiangyang & Chen, Xiaohong, 2023. "Nested frontier-based best practice regulation under asymmetric information in a principal–agent framework," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 306(1), pages 269-285.
    2. Esteve, Miriam & Aparicio, Juan & Rodriguez-Sala, Jesus J. & Zhu, Joe, 2023. "Random Forests and the measurement of super-efficiency in the context of Free Disposal Hull," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 304(2), pages 729-744.

    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. Kristiaan Kerstens & Ignace Van de Woestyne, 2018. "Enumeration algorithms for FDH directional distance functions under different returns to scale assumptions," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 271(2), pages 1067-1078, December.
    2. Esteve, Miriam & Aparicio, Juan & Rodriguez-Sala, Jesus J. & Zhu, Joe, 2023. "Random Forests and the measurement of super-efficiency in the context of Free Disposal Hull," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 304(2), pages 729-744.
    3. Fukuyama, Hirofumi & Shiraz, Rashed Khanjani, 2015. "Cost-effectiveness measures on convex and nonconvex technologies," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 246(1), pages 307-319.
    4. An, Qingxian & Tao, Xiangyang & Chen, Xiaohong, 2023. "Nested frontier-based best practice regulation under asymmetric information in a principal–agent framework," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 306(1), pages 269-285.
    5. Camanho, Ana Santos & Silva, Maria Conceicao & Piran, Fabio Sartori & Lacerda, Daniel Pacheco, 2024. "A literature review of economic efficiency assessments using Data Envelopment Analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 315(1), pages 1-18.
    6. Soleimani-damaneh, Majid & Mostafaee, Amin, 2015. "Identification of the anchor points in FDH models," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 246(3), pages 936-943.
    7. Agrell, Per J. & Niknazar, Pooria, 2014. "Structural and behavioral robustness in applied best-practice regulation," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 89-103.
    8. Juan Aparicio & José L. Zofío & Jesús T. Pastor, 2023. "Decomposing Economic Efficiency into Technical and Allocative Components: An Essential Property," Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, Springer, vol. 197(1), pages 98-129, April.
    9. Forsund, Finn R. & Sarafoglou, Nikias, 2005. "The tale of two research communities: The diffusion of research on productive efficiency," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(1), pages 17-40, October.
    10. H Leleu, 2009. "Mixing DEA and FDH models together," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 60(12), pages 1730-1737, December.
    11. Cesaroni, Giovanni & Kerstens, Kristiaan & Van de Woestyne, Ignace, 2017. "Global and local scale characteristics in convex and nonconvex nonparametric technologies: A first empirical exploration," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 259(2), pages 576-586.
    12. Kerstens, Kristiaan & Sadeghi, Jafar & Van de Woestyne, Ignace, 2019. "Convex and nonconvex input-oriented technical and economic capacity measures: An empirical comparison," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 276(2), pages 699-709.
    13. Kuosmanen, Timo, 2001. "DEA with efficiency classification preserving conditional convexity," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(2), pages 326-342, July.
    14. Chen, Xiaoqing & Kerstens, Kristiaan & Tsionas, Mike, 2024. "Does productivity change at all in Swedish district courts? Empirical analysis focusing on horizontal mergers," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    15. Tavakoli, Ibrahim M. & Mostafaee, Amin, 2019. "Free disposal hull efficiency scores of units with network structures," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 277(3), pages 1027-1036.
    16. Mahmood Mehdiloo & Jafar Sadeghi & Kristiaan Kerstens, 2024. "Top Down Axiomatic Modeling of Metatechnologies and Evaluating Directional Economic Efficiency," Working Papers 2024-EQM-03, IESEG School of Management.
    17. Cherchye, Laurens & Kuosmanen, Timo & Post, Thierry, 2002. "Non-parametric production analysis in non-competitive environments," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(3), pages 279-294, December.
    18. Bogetoft, Peter & Nielsen, Kurt, 2008. "DEA based auctions," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 184(2), pages 685-700, January.
    19. Hatami-Marbini, Adel & Arabmaldar, Aliasghar, 2021. "Robustness of Farrell cost efficiency measurement under data perturbations: Evidence from a US manufacturing application," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 295(2), pages 604-620.
    20. Bogetoft, Peter & Leth Hougaard, Jens, 2004. "Super efficiency evaluations based on potential slack," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 152(1), pages 14-21, January.

    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:eee:ejores:v:300:y:2022:i:1:p:269-281. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eor .

    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.