Measuring public primary education productivity across Mexican states using a Hicks-Moorsteen index

Despite the importance of analysing how an educational system works across regions, there is a lack of research benchmarking regions’ performance over time. The aim of this research is to measure total factor productivity changes (TFPC) in the primary education sector across 30 Mexican states over eight academic years from 2006–07 to 2013–14. To do this, we calculate the Hicks-Moorsteen total factor productivity index (HMTFP) using information on third-grade primary education students attending publicly funded schools. We also explore the main environmental factors behind these differences in productivity. Estimates for the analysed period show an average positive TFPC of 1.91%, driven by technological progress. We also find a significant positive effect on productivity when the policy party governing at the federal and the state levels coincide. The paper concludes by pointing out the need to use school-level data to monitor and evaluate the education systems as an indispensable element for delivering efficient and effective public administration services to citizens.