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A Dea Approach To The Relative Efficiency Of Portuguese Public Universities

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  • António Afonso

    (UECE – Research Unit on Complexity and Economics; Department of Economics, ISEG/TULisbon –Technical University of Lisbon)

  • Mariana Santos

Abstract

We employ Data Envelopment Analysis, to estimate efficiency scores for Portuguese public universities. The input measures are constructed from the number of teachers and from universities’ spending while the output measures are based on the undergraduate success rate and on the number of doctoral dissertations. Using frontier analysis we are able to separate universities that might qualify, as “performing well” from those where some improvement might be possible. This could imply a better allocation by the universities of the usually scarce public financial resources available to tertiary education by the universities.

Suggested Citation

  • António Afonso & Mariana Santos, 2008. "A Dea Approach To The Relative Efficiency Of Portuguese Public Universities," Portuguese Journal of Management Studies, ISEG, Universidade de Lisboa, vol. 0(1), pages 67-88.
    • Handle: RePEc:pjm:journl:v:xiii:y:2008:i:1:p:67-88
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Afonso, Antonio & St. Aubyn, Miguel, 2005. "Non-Parametric Approaches to Education and Health Efficiency in OECD Countries," Journal of Applied Economics, Universidad del CEMA, vol. 8(2), pages 1-20, November.
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    7. António Afonso & Ludger Schuknecht & Vito Tanzi, 2005. "Public sector efficiency: An international comparison," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 123(3), pages 321-347, June.
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    9. Susanne Warning, 2004. "Performance Differences in German Higher Education: Empirical Analysis of Strategic Groups," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 24(4), pages 393-408, June.
    10. Afonso, Antonio & St. Aubyn, Miguel, 2006. "Cross-country efficiency of secondary education provision: A semi-parametric analysis with non-discretionary inputs," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 476-491, May.
    11. Sarrico, C. S. & Dyson, R. G., 2004. "Restricting virtual weights in data envelopment analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 159(1), pages 17-34, November.
    12. Othman Joumady & Catherine Ris, 2005. "Performance in European higher education: A non-parametric production frontier approach," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(2), pages 189-205.
    13. Breu, Theodore M. & Raab, Raymond L., 1994. "Efficiency and perceived quality of the nation's "top 25" National Universities and National Liberal Arts Colleges: An application of data envelopment analysis to higher education," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 33-45.
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    Cited by:

    1. Angel García Correas & Manuel Larran Jorge, 2010. "Análisis de diferentes medidas de la eficiencia investigadora y factores explicativos en las universidades públicas españolas," Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación volume 5, in: María Jesús Mancebón-Torrubia & Domingo P. Ximénez-de-Embún & José María Gómez-Sancho & Gregorio Gim (ed.), Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación 5, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 36, pages 703-732, Asociación de Economía de la Educación.
    2. Mariana Cunha & Vera Rocha, 2012. "On the Efficiency of Public Higher Education Institutions in Portugal: An Exploratory Study," FEP Working Papers 468, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.
    3. Erik E. Lehmann & Michele Meoli & Stefano Paleari & Sarah A. E. Stockinger, 2018. "Approaching effects of the economic crisis on university efficiency: a comparative study of Germany and Italy," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 8(1), pages 37-54, March.
    4. Galvis-Aponte, Luis Armando, 2016. "Eficiencia en el uso de los recursos del SGP : los casos de la salud y la educación," Chapters, in: Bonet-Morón, Jaime Alfredo & Galvis-Aponte, Luis Armando (ed.), Sistemas de transferencias subnacionales : lecciones para una reforma en Colombia, chapter 7, pages 163-191, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    5. Nahed Trabelsi & Younes Boujelbene, 2024. "Public Sector Efficiency and Economic Growth in Developing Countries," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(1), pages 596-615, March.
    6. Renato A. Villano & Carolyn‐Dung T. T. Tran, 2021. "Survey on technical efficiency in higher education: A meta‐fractional regression analysis," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(1), pages 110-135, February.
    7. Ramzi, Sourour & Afonso, António & Ayadi, Mohamed, 2016. "Assessment of efficiency in basic and secondary education in Tunisia: A regional analysis," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 62-76.
    8. António Afonso & Alma Romero & Emma Monsalve, 2013. "Public sector efficiency: evidence for Latin America," Working Papers Department of Economics 2013/20, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Universidade de Lisboa.
    9. Luis Armando Galvis-Aponte, 2015. "La eficiencia del gasto público en educación en Colombia," Revista Economía y Región, Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar, vol. 9(2), pages 75-97, December.
    10. Navas, Lina P. & Montes, Felipe & Abolghasem, Sepideh & Salas, Ricardo J. & Toloo, Mehdi & Zarama, Roberto, 2020. "Colombian higher education institutions evaluation," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    11. Larrán-Jorge, Manuel & García-Correas, Ángel, 2015. "¿Influyen los modelos de financiación autonómicos en la eficiencia de las universidades públicas españolas?," Revista de Contabilidad - Spanish Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 162-173.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    tertiary education; efficiency; DEA;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General
    • H52 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Education
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

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