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A parametric frontier model for measuring eco-efficiency

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  • Orea, Luis
  • Wall, Alan

Abstract

Eco-efficiency has been defined by the OECD as “the efficiency with which ecological resources are used to meet human needs” and can be considered a measure of environmental performance that takes into account both the environmental and economic objectives of firms. Frontier models are an ideal tool for measuring eco-efficiency. While the literature applying frontier models to the empirical measurement of eco-efficiency has been growing steadily in recent years, it has exclusively relied on non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methods to measure eco-efficiency and its determinants. We propose a parametric Stochastic Frontier (SF) model to measure eco-efficiency, arguing that this has several potential advantages. We provide an empirical application using cross-sectional data from Spanish dairy farms which includes information on environmental and economic indicators as well as a series of potential socio-economic determinants of eco-efficiency.

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  • Orea, Luis & Wall, Alan, 2015. "A parametric frontier model for measuring eco-efficiency," Efficiency Series Papers 2015/02, University of Oviedo, Department of Economics, Oviedo Efficiency Group (OEG).
    • Handle: RePEc:oeg:wpaper:2015/02
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Andrés J. Picazo-Tadeo & José A. Gómez-Limón & Ernest Reig-Martínez, 2010. "Assessing farming eco-efficiency: A Data Envelopment Analysis approach," Working Papers 1004, Department of Applied Economics II, Universidad de Valencia.
    2. Caudill, Steven B. & Ford, Jon M., 1993. "Biases in frontier estimation due to heteroscedasticity," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 17-20.
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    4. Picazo-Tadeo, Andrés J. & Beltrán-Esteve, Mercedes & Gómez-Limón, José A., 2012. "Assessing eco-efficiency with directional distance functions," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 220(3), pages 798-809.
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