Measurement of Technical Efficiency in Public Education: A Stochastic and Nonstochastic Production Function Approach

Chakraborty, Kalyan; Biswas, Basudeb; Lewis, W. Cris

doi:10.2307/1061576

Cited by 70 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The two methods are data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier method or analysis. The former is a nonparametric approach that developed out of mathematical programming techniques while the latter is a parametric approach that estimates technical efficiency within a stochastic production function model (Chakraborty et al, 2001). In this study, the stochastic frontier analysis was used in preference to the DEA framework because it posseses the following attractive features that make it worthy to be used as an alternative to the DEA framework (Greene, 2008).…”

Section: The Stochastic Frontier Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

A Stochastic Frontier Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Maize Production Under Minimum Tillage in Zambia

Ng’ombe¹,

Kalinda²

2015

SAR

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Minimum tillage and other conservation agriculture practices are not only associated with income gains but are also claimed to be the panacea to the declining agricultural productivity and soil degradation problems in Africa and across the world. The few studies on technical efficiency related to the agricultural sector performance in Zambia have not attempted to determine how technically efficient smallholder farmers that produce maize under minimum tillage are. This study used stochastic frontier analysis based on both the half-normal and exponential model distributions on 2008 cross-sectional nationally representative data of 160 smallholder maize farm households that adopted minimum tillage in Zambia. Results indicate that maize farmers face increasing returns to scale (1.074) implying that there were opportunities for them to improve their technical efficiency as they were operating in stage I of their production functions. The half-normal and exponential model distributions indicate average technical efficiency scores of 60 and 71.7 percent, respectively. Their respective lowest efficiency scores were 9.3 and 8.5 percent. The highest efficiency scores for the half-normal and exponential model distributions were 89.3 and 90.9 percent. Maximum likelihood estimation results show that marital status, level of education of household head, square of household size, off farm income, agro-ecological region III, distance to vehicular road and access to loans are statistically significant factors that affect technical efficiency of smallholder maize farmers that practice minimum tillage in Zambia. The study calls for increased infrastructural development through construction of improved road network, schools and colleges in remote areas as a means to increasing accesss to knowledge and other agricultural services in order to enhance their technical efficiency levels. It also recommends promotion of minimum tillage practices in recommended agro-ecological regions to improve their technical efficiency. The study further acclaims for increased access to loans by smallholder maize farmers that practice minimum tillage as this would in one way induce them to invest in improved varieties and equipment that would help enhance their technical efficiency in Zambia.

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Section: The Stochastic Frontier Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

A Stochastic Frontier Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Maize Production Under Minimum Tillage in Zambia

Ng’ombe¹,

Kalinda²

2015

SAR

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“…There are several methods both parametric and non-parametric developed over the years to address this issue directly or indirectly. Each of these techniques has its own advantages and disadvantages as discussed in detail by Chakraborty et al (2001) and Murillo-Zamorano (2004). The most use non-parametric techniques are two-stage DEA and value added DEA; and the most use parametric technique is stochastic frontier production function.…”

Section: The Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most use non-parametric techniques are two-stage DEA and value added DEA; and the most use parametric technique is stochastic frontier production function. (Hoxby, 2000;Grosskopf et al, 1997;Chakraborty et al, 2001;McCarty and Yaisawrang, 1993;Linna, 1998;Duncombe et al, 1997;Kirjavainen and Loikkanen, 1998;Noulas and Ketkar, 1998;Ruggiero and Vitaliano, 1999;Ruggiero, 2001;Saito and McIntosh, 2003;Bishop and Brand, 2003) The past studies recognize that inaccurate identification of production set, improper measure of inputs and outputs, and failure to account for simultaneity in inputs, outputs, and socioeconomic factors can seriously undermine the accuracy and reliability of efficiency estimates (Klien, 2007). This is because it is most likely that the efficiency and the economic performance of school districts are difficult to accurately assess unless the production function is correctly defined in terms of all measurable inputs and outputs.…”

Section: The Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficiency in Public Education - The role of socio-economic variables

Chakraborty

2009

RAE

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This study measures the efficiency of public education using a stochastic frontier model that estimates an educational production function and an inefficiency effects function that controls the socio-economic and environmental factors simultaneously. The model developed by Battese and Coelli (1995) is used in this study and applied to a panel dataset. The study finds that although the mean efficiency scores obtained from the model are lower than the efficiency scores from a conventional stochastic frontier model, the estimates are robust and consistent. The empirical application uses three-year panel data from Kansas school districts and finds that Kansas schools are generally efficient and most of the educational inputs under the control of the school administration are either have a low or no influence on students' achievement scores. However, students' socioeconomic factors are found to have significant influence on their achievement scores. JEL Classification Codes: C10, I21, I28, H52

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“…The stochastic specification assumes half and exponential distributions for the inefficiency error term while the deterministic specification uses a two-stage DEA model in which efficiency levels from an output-oriented DEA using controllable school inputs only are regressed on the non school inputs using a Tobit regression model. According to their findings, Chakraborty, Biswas, and Lewis (2001) state that researchers can safely select any of the above methods without great concern for that choice having a large influence on the empirical results.…”

Section: Empirical Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Economic Efficiency and Frontier Techniques

Zamorano

2004

Journal of Economic Surveys

318

179

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Abstract. Most of the literature related to the measurement of economic efficiency has based its analysis either on parametric or on non-parametric frontier methods. The choice of estimation method has been an issue of debate, with some researchers preferring the parametric and others the non-parametric approach. The aim of this paper is to provide a critical and detailed review of both core frontier methods. In our opinion, no approach is strictly preferable to any other. Moreover, a careful consideration of their main advantages and disadvantages, of the data set utilized, and of the intrinsic characteristics of the framework under analysis will help us in the correct implementation of these techniques. Recent developments in frontier techniques and economic efficiency measurement such as Bayesian techniques, bootstrapping, duality theory and the analysis of sampling asymptotic properties are also considered in this paper.

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Measurement of Technical Efficiency in Public Education: A Stochastic and Nonstochastic Production Function Approach

Cited by 70 publications

References 39 publications

A Stochastic Frontier Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Maize Production Under Minimum Tillage in Zambia

A Stochastic Frontier Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Maize Production Under Minimum Tillage in Zambia

Efficiency in Public Education - The role of socio-economic variables

Economic Efficiency and Frontier Techniques

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