IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pra/mprapa/107046.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Efficiency of government policy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Delis, Manthos D.
  • Iosifidi, Maria
  • Tasiou, Menelaos

Abstract

Using data envelopment analysis and stochastic frontier models, we introduce a new country-month index of efficiency of government policy in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Our indices cover the period May 2020 to March 2021 for 81 countries. Our framework assumes that governments impose stringent policies with the ultimate goal of saving lives. We use policies listed in the Oxford COVID-19 Containment and Health Index as government policy input and a deaths-based measure as the output. Importantly, we estimate our output to account for country-month variations in the quality of death reporting. Based on their average efficiency, the top 5 countries are Taiwan, Japan, Estonia, Finland and New Zealand. We also examine the correlates of our new indices and find that important and positive ones are institutions, democratic principles, political stability, high public spending in health, female participation in the workplace, and economic equality. Within the efficient jurisdictions, the most efficient ones are those with cultural characteristics of low power distance and high patience. The new index and its correlates produce several avenues for future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Delis, Manthos D. & Iosifidi, Maria & Tasiou, Menelaos, 2021. "Efficiency of government policy during the COVID-19 pandemic," MPRA Paper 107046, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:107046
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/107046/1/MPRA_paper_107046.pdf
    File Function: original version
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/107292/1/MPRA_paper_107292.pdf
    File Function: revised version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Leopold Simar & Paul Wilson, 2000. "A general methodology for bootstrapping in non-parametric frontier models," Journal of Applied Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(6), pages 779-802.
    2. Galor, Oded & Ashraf, Quamrul, 2007. "Cultural Assimilation, Cultural Diffusion and the Origin of the Wealth of Nations," CEPR Discussion Papers 6444, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Marthinus C. Breitenbach & Victor Ngobeni & Goodness C. Aye, 2021. "Efficiency of Healthcare Systems in the First Wave of COVID-19 – A Technical Efficiency Analysis," Economic Studies journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 6, pages 3-21.
    4. William W. Cooper & Lawrence M. Seiford & Joe Zhu, 2011. "Data Envelopment Analysis: History, Models, and Interpretations," International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, in: William W. Cooper & Lawrence M. Seiford & Joe Zhu (ed.), Handbook on Data Envelopment Analysis, chapter 0, pages 1-39, Springer.
    5. Cook, Wade D. & Seiford, Larry M., 2009. "Data envelopment analysis (DEA) - Thirty years on," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 192(1), pages 1-17, January.
    6. Simar, Leopold & Wilson, Paul W., 2007. "Estimation and inference in two-stage, semi-parametric models of production processes," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 136(1), pages 31-64, January.
    7. Alok Baveja & Ajai Kapoor & Benjamin Melamed, 2020. "Stopping Covid-19: A pandemic-management service value chain approach," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 289(2), pages 173-184, June.
    8. William W. Cooper & Lawrence M. Seiford & Joe Zhu (ed.), 2011. "Handbook on Data Envelopment Analysis," International Series in Operations Research and Management Science, Springer, number 978-1-4419-6151-8, March.
    9. Meeusen, Wim & van den Broeck, Julien, 1977. "Efficiency Estimation from Cobb-Douglas Production Functions with Composed Error," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 18(2), pages 435-444, June.
    10. Galor, Oded & Ashraf, Quamrul, 2007. "Cultural Assimilation, Cultural Diffusion and the Origin of the Wealth of Nations," CEPR Discussion Papers 6444, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    11. Gaganis, Chrysovalantis & Pasiouras, Fotios & Tasiou, Menelaos & Zopounidis, Constantin, 2021. "CISEF: A composite index of social, environmental and financial performance," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 291(1), pages 394-409.
    12. Léopold Simar & Paul Wilson, 1999. "Of Course We Can Bootstrap DEA Scores! But Does It Mean Anything? Logic Trumps Wishful Thinking," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 93-97, February.
    13. Liang, Liang & Cook, Wade D. & Zhu, Joe, 2016. "DEA models for non-homogeneous DMUs with different input configurationsAuthor-Name: Li, WangHong," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 254(3), pages 946-956.
    14. Greene, William, 2005. "Reconsidering heterogeneity in panel data estimators of the stochastic frontier model," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 126(2), pages 269-303, June.
    15. Nina Haug & Lukas Geyrhofer & Alessandro Londei & Elma Dervic & Amélie Desvars-Larrive & Vittorio Loreto & Beate Pinior & Stefan Thurner & Peter Klimek, 2020. "Ranking the effectiveness of worldwide COVID-19 government interventions," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 4(12), pages 1303-1312, December.
    16. Nikolopoulos, Konstantinos & Punia, Sushil & Schäfers, Andreas & Tsinopoulos, Christos & Vasilakis, Chrysovalantis, 2021. "Forecasting and planning during a pandemic: COVID-19 growth rates, supply chain disruptions, and governmental decisions," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 290(1), pages 99-115.
    17. Aigner, Dennis & Lovell, C. A. Knox & Schmidt, Peter, 1977. "Formulation and estimation of stochastic frontier production function models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 6(1), pages 21-37, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Manthos D. Delis & Maria Iosifidi & Menelaos Tasiou, 2023. "Efficiency of government policy during the COVID-19 pandemic," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 328(2), pages 1287-1312, September.
    2. Головань С.В. & Назин В.В. & Пересецкий А.А., 2010. "Непараметрические Оценки Эффективности Российских Банков," Журнал Экономика и математические методы (ЭММ), Центральный Экономико-Математический Институт (ЦЭМИ), vol. 46(3), июль.
    3. Léopold Simar & Paul W. Wilson, 2015. "Statistical Approaches for Non-parametric Frontier Models: A Guided Tour," International Statistical Review, International Statistical Institute, vol. 83(1), pages 77-110, April.
    4. Adriana Cobas & Alexandros Maziotis & Andrés Villegas, 2023. "Measurement of Efficiency and its Drivers in the Chilean Banking Industry," Working Papers Central Bank of Chile 987, Central Bank of Chile.
    5. Lampe, Hannes W. & Hilgers, Dennis, 2015. "Trajectories of efficiency measurement: A bibliometric analysis of DEA and SFA," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 240(1), pages 1-21.
    6. Manuel Salas-Velasco, 2020. "Measuring and explaining the production efficiency of Spanish universities using a non-parametric approach and a bootstrapped-truncated regression," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 122(2), pages 825-846, February.
    7. Vittadini, Giorgio & Sturaro, Caterina & Folloni, Giuseppe, 2022. "Non-Cognitive Skills and Cognitive Skills to measure school efficiency," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    8. Sickles, Robin C. & Song, Wonho & Zelenyuk, Valentin, 2018. "Econometric Analysis of Productivity: Theory and Implementation in R," Working Papers 18-008, Rice University, Department of Economics.
    9. Kaffash, Sepideh & Azizi, Roza & Huang, Ying & Zhu, Joe, 2020. "A survey of data envelopment analysis applications in the insurance industry 1993–2018," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 284(3), pages 801-813.
    10. Florian Dorn, 2021. "Elections and Government Efficiency," ifo Working Paper Series 363, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich.
    11. Petridis, Konstantinos & Malesios, Chrisovalantis & Arabatzis, Garyfallos & Thanassoulis, Emmanuel, 2013. "Efficiency analysis of forestry journals: Suggestions for improving journals’ quality," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 7(2), pages 505-521.
    12. Carlos Pestana Barros & Gaël Bertrand & Laurent Botti & Scott Tainsky, 2014. "Cost efficiency of French rugby clubs," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(23), pages 2721-2732, August.
    13. Martini, Gianmaria & Scotti, Davide & Viola, Domenico & Vittadini, Giorgio, 2020. "Persistent and temporary inefficiency in airport cost function: An application to Italy," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 999-1019.
    14. Boutheina Bannour & Asma Sghaier & Mohammad Nurunnabi, 2020. "How to Choose a Nonparametric Frontier Model? Technical Efficiency of Turkish Banks Assessing Global," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 21(2), pages 348-364, April.
    15. Tsionas, Mike & Patel, Pankaj C. & Guedes, Maria João, 2022. "Endogenous efficiency of the dynamic profit maximization in the intertemporal production models of venture behavior," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    16. 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.
    17. Varabyova, Yauheniya & Schreyögg, Jonas, 2013. "International comparisons of the technical efficiency of the hospital sector: Panel data analysis of OECD countries using parametric and non-parametric approaches," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(1), pages 70-79.
    18. Barra, Cristian & Lagravinese, Raffaele & Zotti, Roberto, 2015. "Explaining (in)efficiency in higher education: a comparison of parametric and non-parametric analyses to rank universities," MPRA Paper 67119, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Massimo Finocchiaro Castro & Calogero Guccio & Ilde Rizzo, 2014. "An assessment of the waste effects of corruption on infrastructure provision," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 21(4), pages 813-843, August.
    20. Bielecki, Andre & Albers, Sönke, 2012. "Eine Analyse der Forschungseffizienz deutscher betriebswirtschaftlicher Fachbereiche basierend auf den Daten des Centrums für Hochschulentwicklung (CHE)," EconStor Preprints 57429, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Government efficiency; COVID-19 pandemic; Data envelopment analysis; Stochastic frontiers; Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker; determinants of efficiency;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:pra:mprapa:107046. 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: Joachim Winter (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    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.