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The efficiency of Italian secondary schools and the potential role of competition: a data envelopment analysis using OECD-PISA2006 data

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  • Tommaso Agasisti

Abstract

In this study, data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to compute efficiency scores for a sample of Italian schools by employing OECD-PISA2006 data aggregated at school level. Efficiency has been defined as the ability to transform inputs (resources, student background, etc.) into outputs (student achievement). Different versions of the DEA models were estimated to test result robustness, including a DEA bootstrapping procedure. In a second-stage analysis, the factors affecting school efficiency are investigated through a Tobit regression. Among these factors, alternative indicators of competition were included. The results show that at least one indicator of competition is statistically associated with higher performances of schools, suggesting that there is a potential role for improving school results by increasing the number of schools competing each other. These findings are consistent with a previous analysis conducted on the same dataset by estimating an educational production function. Policy implications are presented in the last part of the study.

Suggested Citation

  • Tommaso Agasisti, 2013. "The efficiency of Italian secondary schools and the potential role of competition: a data envelopment analysis using OECD-PISA2006 data," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(5), pages 520-544, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:edecon:v:21:y:2013:i:5:p:520-544
    DOI: 10.1080/09645292.2010.511840
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    1. Vandenberghe Vincent & Robin Stéphane, 2003. "Private, Private Government-Dependent and Public schools. An International Efficiency Analysis using Propensity Score Matching," Public Economics 0308002, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    1. Kristof De Witte & Laura López-Torres, 2017. "Efficiency in education: a review of literature and a way forward," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 68(4), pages 339-363, April.
    2. Gulati, Rachita & Charles, Vincent & Kumar, Sunil, 2024. "School education development index: A meta-frontier range directional measure benefit-of-the-doubt model," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    3. Jerrim, John & Lopez-Agudo, Luis Alejandro & Marcenaro-Gutierrez, Oscar D. & Shure, Nikki, 2017. "What happens when econometrics and psychometrics collide? An example using the PISA data," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 51-58.
    4. K. Kounetas & G. Androulakis & M. Kaisari & G. Manousakis, 2023. "Educational reforms and secondary school's efficiency performance in Greece: a bootstrap DEA and multilevel approach," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 1-29, March.
    5. Giuseppe Di Giacomo & Aline Pennisi, 2015. "Assessing Primary and Lower Secondary School Efficiency Within Northern, Central and Southern Italy," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 1(2), pages 287-311, July.
    6. Aparicio, Juan & Cordero, Jose M. & Gonzalez, Martin & Lopez-Espin, Jose J., 2018. "Using non-radial DEA to assess school efficiency in a cross-country perspective: An empirical analysis of OECD countries," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 9-20.
    7. Rebai, Sonia & Ben Yahia, Fatma & Essid, Hédi, 2020. "A graphically based machine learning approach to predict secondary schools performance in Tunisia," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    8. López-Torres, Laura & Nicolini, Rosella & Prior, Diego, 2017. "Does strategic interaction affect demand for school places? A conditional efficiency approach," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 89-103.
    9. Nghiem, Son & Nguyen, Ha & Connelly, Luke, 2014. "The Efficiency of Australian Schools: Evidence from the NAPLAN Data 2009-2011," MPRA Paper 56231, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Natthan Singh & Millie Pant & Amit Goel, 2018. "ANN embedded data envelopment analysis approach for measuring the efficiency of state boards in India," International Journal of System Assurance Engineering and Management, Springer;The Society for Reliability, Engineering Quality and Operations Management (SREQOM),India, and Division of Operation and Maintenance, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden, vol. 9(5), pages 1092-1106, October.
    11. Henriques, C.O. & Chavez, J.M. & Gouveia, M.C. & Marcenaro-Gutierrez, O.D., 2022. "Efficiency of secondary schools in Ecuador: A value based DEA approach," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 82(PA).
    12. Corrado Lo Storto, 2018. "Efficiency, Conflicting Goals and Trade-Offs: A Nonparametric Analysis of the Water and Wastewater Service Industry in Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-22, March.
    13. Camanho, Ana S. & Varriale, Luisa & Barbosa, Flávia & Sobral, Thiago, 2021. "Performance assessment of upper secondary schools in Italian regions using a circular pseudo-Malmquist index," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 289(3), pages 1188-1208.
    14. Henriques, C.O. & Marcenaro-Gutierrez, O.D., 2021. "Efficiency of secondary schools in Portugal: A novel DEA hybrid approach," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    15. Tommaso Agasisti, 2014. "How does schools’ efficiency look like across Europe? An empirical analysis of Germany, Spain, France, Italy and UK using OECD PISA2012 data," Working papers 9, Società Italiana di Economia Pubblica.
    16. López-Torres, Laura & Johnes, Jill & Elliott, Caroline & Polo, Cristina, 2021. "The effects of competition and collaboration on efficiency in the UK independent school sector," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 40-53.
    17. Lagravinese, Raffaele & Liberati, Paolo & Resce, Giuliano, 2020. "The impact of economic, social and cultural conditions on educational attainments," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 112-132.
    18. Delprato, Marcos & Antequera, Germán, 2021. "School efficiency in low and middle income countries: An analysis based on PISA for development learning survey," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    19. Fusco, Elisa & Vidoli, Francesco & Rogge, Nicky, 2020. "Spatial directional robust Benefit of the Doubt approach in presence of undesirable output: An application to Italian waste sector," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    20. Yahia, F.B. & Essid, H., 2019. "Determinants of Tunisian Schools’ Efficiency: A DEA-Tobit Approach," Journal of Applied Management and Investments, Department of Business Administration and Corporate Security, International Humanitarian University, vol. 8(1), pages 44-56, February.
    21. Tommaso Agasisti, 2013. "Competition Among Italian Junior-Secondary Schools: A Variance-Decomposition Empirical Analysis," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 84(1), pages 17-42, March.
    22. Tommaso Agasisti & Pablo Zoido, 2015. "The Efficiency of Secondary Schools in an International Perspective: Preliminary Results from PISA 2012," OECD Education Working Papers 117, OECD Publishing.

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