Benchmarking the economic and environmental performance of water utilities: a comparison of frontier techniques

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Molinos-Senante ◽  
Alexandros Maziotis ◽  
Ramon Sala-Garrido
Keyword(s):  
Stochastic Frontier Analysis ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Water Utilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Frontier Analysis ◽  
Efficiency Assessment ◽  
Lower Variability ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to estimate and compare the efficiency of several water utilities using three frontier techniques. Moreover, this study estimates the impact of several qualities of service variables on water utilities’ performance.Design/methodology/approachThe paper utilizes three frontier techniques such as data envelopment analysis (DEA), stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and stochastic non-parametric envelopment of data (StoNED) to estimate efficiency scores.FindingsEfficiency scores for each methodological approach were different being on average, 0.745, 0.857 and 0.933 for SFA, DEA and StoNED methods, respectively. Moreover, it was evidenced that water leakage had a statistically significant impact on water utilities’ costs.Research limitations/implicationsThe choice of an adequate and robust method for benchmarking the efficiency of water utilities is very relevant for water regulators because it affects decision making process such as water tariffs and design incentives to improve the performance and quality of service of water utilities.Originality/valueThis paper evaluates and compares the performance of a sample of water utilities using three different frontier methods. It has been revealed that the choice of the efficiency assessment method matters. Unlike SFA and DEA, a lower variability was shown in the efficiency scores obtained from the StoNED method.

Intellectual capital: a determinant of firms' operational efficiency

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanishka Gupta ◽  
T.V. Raman
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Analysis ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Financial Sector ◽  
Operational Efficiency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Frontier Analysis ◽  
The Impact

PurposeIntellectual capital (IC) has been recognized in improving the efficiency of businesses and gaining competitive edge in the developed world. The present study offers perspectives into the effect of IC on the efficiency of the Indian financial sector companies.Design/methodology/approachFor the purpose of evaluating efficiency, the research has used stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). All Indian financial sector companies listed in National Stock Exchange (NSE-500) for the timeframe of ten years (2008–2018) have been considered. The paper has employed modified Pulic's Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAICTM) as a proxy to measure IC. Correlation and panel data regression have been used in order to examine the relationship.FindingsThe results of the study indicate positive and significant relationship between IC and efficiency of the firm. The results also show that all the components of IC, that is, human capital, relational capital, process capital and capital employed have a significant impact on firms' efficiency. Additionally, it has been seen that sample companies do not invest in research and development leading to no innovation capital.Practical implicationsThe research will assist managers in managing and controlling the IC, investors in matters related to investment and financial experts in improving the company's IC and value creation.Originality/valueThe current research is one of the pioneering studies in the context of Indian financial sector that examines the impact of modified VAIC on operational efficiency calculated using SFA.

Ownership structure and bank performance in EU-15 countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 509-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Migliardo ◽  
Antonio Fabio Forgione
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Analysis ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Bank Performance ◽  
Continuous Variables ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Frontier Analysis ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of ownership structure on bank performance in EU-15 countries. Specifically, it examines to what extent shareholder type and the degree of shareholder concentration affect the banks’ profitability, risk and technical efficiency.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a sample of 1,459 banks operating in EU-15 countries from 2011 to 2015. It constructs a set of continuous variables capturing the ownership nature, the concentration and their interactions, and estimates an instrumental variable random effect (IV-RE) model. In addition, a panel data stochastic frontier analysis is conducted to estimate the time-varying technical efficiency for profitability and costs.FindingsThe empirical analysis shows that bank performance is affected by shareholder type. When regressed against the entrenchment behavior of the controlling owner hypothesis, banks with large-block shareholders are more profitable, less risky and more profit efficient. Further, ownership concentration reverts the negative effect related to the institutional, bank and industry ownership.Research limitations/implicationsThe results support the hypothesis that concentrated ownership helps to overcome agency problems. They also confirm that managerial involvement in banks’ capital enhances a bank’s profit and its volatility.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to consider the ownership nature, the concentration and their interaction using continuous variables, which allows for more precise inferences. The results provide new evidence that bank profitability, cost efficiency and risk are affected by the type of direct shareholders.

scholarly journals International R&D Spillovers and Innovation Efficiency

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3974 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianping Liu ◽  
Kai Lu ◽  
Shixiong Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Capital Stock ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Analysis ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Frontier Analysis ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Scientific Papers ◽  
Catch Up ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

The objective of this study is to examine the impact of international research and development (R&D) spillovers on innovation efficiency of specific R&D outcomes, employing the country-level panel data for 44 countries in the 1996–2013 period. Fully considering the heterogeneity of different R&D outputs, scientific papers, PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) patents, US patents, and domestic patents are observed separately, which enriches the angles of measuring international R&D spillovers. By applying a stochastic frontier analysis to knowledge production function, we find that foreign R&D capital stock positively contributes to the innovation efficiency of scientific papers, but suppresses the productivity of domestic patents, whereas it does not really matter for PCT or US patents. These results are robust to control for a set of institutional factors and also in sensitivity analyses. Hence, dependence on international R&D spillovers seems neither to be the right way for emerging economies to catch up, nor to be a sustainable model for developing countries to fill the technical gap. Local R&D capital stock, instead, keeps an essential contributor to all four R&D outputs, so raising internal R&D expenditure is actually the key to improving innovation level and sustainable development ability.

scholarly journals The Impact of Urbanization on Farmland Productivity: Implications for China’s Requisition–Compensation Balance of Farmland Policy

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongqi Deng ◽  
Qianyu Zhao ◽  
Helen X. H. Bao
Keyword(s):  
Labor Force ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Analysis ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Agricultural Labor ◽  
Frontier Analysis ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Urbanization Rate ◽  
Impact Of Urbanization ◽  
The Impact

The rapid growth of China’s economy since the reform in 1978 should be largely attributed to urbanization. Nonetheless, in terms of farmland productivity, urbanization may lead to perverse incentives and thus threaten food security. On the one hand, the requisition–compensation balance of farmland (RCBF) policy could reduce farmland productivity because of a “superior occupation and inferior compensation”; on the other hand, urbanization promotes the transfer of the younger labor force and thus reduces the productivity of the agricultural labor force. To investigate the undesirable effects, based on some stylized facts, this study selects 29,415 county-level samples in a Chinese county from 2000–2014 to construct an empirical model. With a new stochastic frontier analysis method that eliminates the classical econometric issues of endogeneity and heterogeneity, the empirical results show that there is a U-shaped relationship between the farmland use efficiency (productivity) and urbanization rate, indicating that only when the urbanization rate is relatively low would urbanization decrease the farmland use efficiency; in contrast, when the urbanization rate is relatively high, technical progress would obviously be accompanied by urbanization, and thus, the undesirable effects are fully offset. Furthermore, the U-shaped relationship is robust after considering the endogeneity of the urbanization rate and total-factor farmland use efficiency. With these findings, recommendations to implement sustainable management and conservation policies regarding farmland resources are made.

Performance analysis of electricity distribution sector post the implementation of electricity act 2003: empirical evidence from India

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 669-696
Author(s):  
Pavan Khetrapal
Keyword(s):  
Stochastic Frontier Analysis ◽  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Unobserved Heterogeneity ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Operational Efficiency ◽  
Electricity Distribution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Frontier Analysis ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Utility Managers

PurposeThe objective of the present study is to evaluate and analyse the performance of Indian electricity distribution utilities post the implementation of landmark Electricity Act 2003.Design/methodology/approachStochastic frontier analysis (SFA) that incorporates exogenous influences on operational efficiency is adopted in the present study. Specifically, a stochastic frontier production function model with a technical inefficiency effects model (Battese and Coelli, 1995) is chosen as a preferred model. In this model, the function that explains the inefficiency scores is estimated in a single stage with the production technology. This avoids the problem of inconsistency which is possible in the two-stage approach.FindingsThe sample involved 52 Indian electricity distribution utilities for seven-year period from 2006 to 2013. Major findings of SFA show that Indian electricity distribution utilities post the implementation of Electricity Act (2003) had, on average, experienced efficiency improvement during the observed period. The overall mean technical effciency score is estimated as 78.5% which indicates that there exist wide scope for effciency improvement in the sector. Further, the empirical findings also indicate that publicly owned distribution utilities obtain average technical efficiencies of 71.3%, which is lower than privately owned distribution utilities, which achieve average technical efficiencies of 85.7%.Research limitations/implicationsPower supply quality indicators such as SAIFI, SAIDI, CAIFI, etc. and unobserved heterogeneity also influence the efficiency analysis of electricity distribution utilities. Hence, these parameters as explanatory variables can be incorporated in the future work.Practical implicationsThe results obtained from this empirical study would likely be helpful for utility managers and policymakers to know how well they are performing, and how a better corporate strategy a particular utility can formulate to improve its operational efficiency and also its position in the marketplace.Originality/valueThis paper is amongst the first significant attempts that implement SFA approach to the panel dataset over a longer period of time – 2006 to 2013, so, as to evaluate and analyse the operational efficiency of Indian electricity distribution utilities in a single framework after the enactment of Electricity Act (2003). Unlike previous studies, this study investigates the degree to which various exogenous (or environmental) factors influence efficiency levels in these utilities.

scholarly journals The cost efficiency of Vietnamese banks – the difference between DEA and SFA

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-227
Author(s):  
Phong Hoang Nguyen ◽  
Duyen Thi Bich Pham
Keyword(s):  
Cost Efficiency ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Analysis ◽  
Random Noise ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Time Consistency ◽  
Efficiency Frontier ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Frontier Analysis ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Cost

PurposeThe paper aims to enrich previous findings for an emerging banking industry such as Vietnam, reporting the difference between the parametric and nonparametric methods when measuring cost efficiency. The purpose of the study is to assess the consistency in issuing policies to improve the cost efficiency of Vietnamese commercial banks.Design/methodology/approachThe cost efficiency of banks is assessed through the data envelopment analysis (DEA) and the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). Next, five tests are conducted in succession to analyze the differences in cost efficiency measured by these two methods, including the distribution, the rankings, the identification of the best and worst banks, the time consistency and the determinants of efficiency frontier. The data are collected from the annual financial statements of Vietnamese banks during 2005–2017.FindingsThe results show that the cost efficiency obtained under the SFA models is more consistent than under the DEA models. However, the DEA-based efficiency scores are more similar in ranking order and stability over time. The inconsistency in efficiency characteristics under two different methods reminds policy makers and bank administrators to compare and select the appropriate efficiency frontier measure for each stage and specific economic conditions.Originality/valueThis paper shows the need to control for heterogeneity over banking groups and time as well as for random noise and outliers when measuring the cost efficiency.

Measuring efficiency of Vietnamese banks

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thanh Ngo ◽  
David Tripe
Keyword(s):  
Cost Efficiency ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Analysis ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Control Variable ◽  
Banking System ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Frontier Analysis ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Cost

Purpose This paper aims to examine alternative methods for treating nonperforming loans (NPLs) in bank cost-efficiency studies using stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). Design/methodology/approach The authors consider three methods of treating NPLs in SFA: as an additional control variable, as an environmental factor or as a deduction from total loans. Using data from the Vietnamese banking system (2003-2010), the authors then compare these results with those of the base model (where total loans is used regardless of the NPLs) to see which one is more appropriate for this study. Findings The authors observed that the first two methods are inappropriate for the analysis: one cannot find the significant relationship between NPLs and the banks’ total cost, and the other cannot account for any inefficiency at all. The authors suggested that the third method of separating NPLs from total loans can provide better insights. Using the proposed method, the authors showed that the cost-efficiency of Vietnamese banks over the period examined was moderate with a slight decreasing trend. When NPLs are separated, the cost-efficiency decreases in state-owned banks and big banks, whereas it increases in small and private banks. Research limitations/implications Research is limited to Vietnamese banks during a certain period, and it would be useful to apply the same technique to other data sets. Practical implications The paper suggests a new approach to account for NPLs in cost SFA studies in banking. Originality/value The paper provides a much more searching analysis of NPLs in banking than has generally been seen in previous research.

Stochastic cost frontier analysis – a sensitivity analysis on cost measures

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thanh Ngo ◽  
David Tripe
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Cost Efficiency ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Analysis ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Banking System ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Frontier Analysis ◽  
Cost Frontier

Purpose This paper aims to examine alternative methods for recording and treating costs in studies of bank efficiency. Design/methodology/approach This study used stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) models with core costs and total costs to estimate the cost efficiency of banks in two different economies, Vietnam where the banking system is under-developed (and thus is dominated by traditional banking activities) and New Zealand where the banking system is well-developed (and thus non-traditional banking activities play an important role). Findings The authors found that models using total cost tend to underestimate the banks’ cost efficiency. This underestimation relates to the extent of modern activities in a banking system: it is larger in an advanced banking system (i.e. New Zealand) and smaller in a less-developed banking system (i.e. Vietnam). Research limitations/implications Research is limited to two countries, and it would be useful to apply the same technique to other data sets. Practical implications The paper suggests a new approach to cost SFA studies in banking. Originality/value The paper provides a much more searching analysis of costs in banking than has generally been seen in previous research.

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