External Two Stage DEA Analysis of Bank Efficiency in West Balkan Countries

Since the beginning of the application of the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model in various areas of the economy, it has found its wide application in the field of finance, more specifically banks, in the last few years. The focus of this research was to determine the sustainability of the intermediate function of banks, especially in recent years when interest rates on deposits have been at a minimum level. The research was divided into two parts, wherein the first part determined the efficiency of the intermediate function of banks in the countries of the Western Balkans in the period from 2015 to 2019. The second part approached the regression analysis in which we determined the influence of the bank size, type of bank, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity on the defined efficiency. In the first stage we applied the output-oriented DEA model using deposits, labor costs, and capital as input variables; on the other side, we used loans and investments as output variables. We used data from the revised financial statements of the banks operating in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Albania. The results of our study showed that there is a difference in efficiency levels between countries and within countries in the considered time period. Furthermore, Tobit regression analysis showed a significant and negative influence of the bank type and M&A on relative technical efficiency of banks, and a positive and significant relationship between bank size and relative efficiency. These findings suggest that large commercial banks can sustain on the West Balkan market. It is to be expected that less efficient small banks will be taken over by large and more efficient banks.

Highlighting the Drivers of Italian Diversified Farms Efficiency: A Two-Stage DEA-Panel Tobit Analysis

Farm diversification is an important phenomenon in agricultural systems and rural development in Europe, pursuing economic, social and environmental goals. For the sustainability of diversified farms, it is important to analyse some drivers affecting farm efficiency, for instance, socio-economic, technical and policy drivers. The efficiency performance of a panel of Italian farms practising other gainful activities in the period 2012–2017 was investigated and regressed against the drivers that mostly affects farm performances. FADN data and a two-step approach were used. An output-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis was applied; in the second step, efficiency scores were used as a dependent variable in a panel Tobit regression analysis used to determine differences in the significance of drivers. Social, economic, technical and policy drivers were considered as explanatory variables. Results show margins for improving farms performances. The incidence of the output from other gainful activities has been proven to positively affect farms efficiencies, while intermediate costs are the most negatively impacting factor. As regards policy variables and implications, the significance of localization in mountain disadvantaged territories further supports the relevance of EU subsidies in less-favoured areas. Managerial implications in terms of technical, structural and economic indicators can be drawn from study findings.

Comparing and Identifying Influential Factors of Technological Innovation Efficiency in Manufacturing and Service Industries Using DEA: A Study of SMEs in South Korea

Although technological innovation is critical for growth and future survival, small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) are at a disadvantage compared to larger organizations given the resources available. It is important to examine the possible methods for making research and development more efficient. This study analyzes the technological innovation efficiency of SMEs in the manufacturing and service industries in South Korea and determines the factors affecting efficiency. The models of data envelopment analysis and Tobit regression analysis were used. According to the analysis results, the technical and pure technical efficiencies were higher in the service industry than in the manufacturing industry. The factors affecting efficiency were also different between the two industries. This study is significant because it evaluates the innovation activity efficiency of small and medium manufacturing and service companies in South Korea and provides specific criteria and a rationale to improve the efficiency.

Can integrated care improve the efficiency of hospitals? Research based on 200 Hospitals in China

Background The shift towards integrated care (IC) represents a global trend towards more comprehensive and coordinated systems of care, particularly for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly. When health systems face fiscal constraints, integrated care has been advanced as a potential solution by simultaneously improving health service effectiveness and efficiency. This paper addresses the latter. There are three study objectives: first, to compare efficiency differences between IC and non-IC hospitals in China; second, to examine variations in efficiency among different types of IC hospitals; and finally, to explore whether the implementation of IC impacts hospital efficiency. Methods This study uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to calculate efficiency scores among a sample of 200 hospitals in H Province, China. Tobit regression analysis was performed to explore the influence of IC implementation on hospital efficiency scores after adjustment for potential confounding. Moreover, the association between various input and output variables and the implementation of IC was investigated using regression techniques. Results The study has four principal findings: first, IC hospitals, on average, are shown to be more efficient than non-IC hospitals after adjustment for covariates. Holding output constant, IC hospitals are shown to reduce their current input mix by 12% and 4% to achieve optimal efficiency under constant and variable returns-to-scale, respectively, while non-IC hospitals have to reduce their input mix by 26 and 20% to achieve the same level of efficiency; second, with respect to the efficiency of each type of IC, we show that higher efficiency scores are achieved by administrative and virtual IC models over a contractual IC model; third, we demonstrate that IC influences hospitals efficiency by impacting various input and output variables, such as length of stay, inpatient admissions, and staffing; fourth, while bed density per nurse was positively associated with hospital efficiency, the opposite was shown for bed density per physician. Conclusions IC has the potential to promote hospital efficiency by influencing an array of input and output variables. Policies designed to facilitate the implementation of IC in hospitals need to be cognizant of the complex way IC impacts hospital efficiency.

Efisiensi teknis usahatani kentang pada luas lahan yang berbeda di kabupaten Pasuruan

Potatoes are upland vegetable crops, which is the superior plant of Tosari District, Pasuruan Regency. Tosari potatoes are the largest contributor to production in East Java. The farmer profession is the main profession in this area, inherited from the family. The land area owned is inherited from the family. The agricultural land area varies, but still found farmers with a land area of more than one hectare. In this study, respondents were divided into two groups, namely farmers with a land area of ≥ 1 hectare called cluster I and respondent farmers with a land area of ≤ 0.5 hectares called cluster II. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of production inputs on potato production, to analyze the level of technical efficiency of potato farmers with different land areas, to analyze the factors affecting the level of technical efficiency. The study was conducted by interviewing 49 respondent farmers in Cluster I and 70 respondent farmers in Cluster II. This study uses the Cobb Douglas production function, the analytical methods used are the Stochastic Analysis Frontier (SFA) and the Tobit regression analysis. The results showed that the production inputs that had a significant effect on production in cluster I were seeds, fertilizers, and manure, while in cluster II were fertilizers and pesticides. The level of technical efficiency of farmers who have a land area of ≥ 1 hectare is greater than farmers with a land area of ≤0.5 hectares. The land area has a significant effect on the level of technical efficiency.

The Impact of Public Reporting Schemes and Market Competition on Hospital Efficiency

In the wake of growing attempts to assess the validity of public reporting, much research has examined the effectiveness of public reporting regarding cost or quality of care. However, relatively little is known about whether transparency through public reporting significantly influences hospital efficiency despite its emerging expectations for providing value-based care. This study aims to identify the dynamics that transparency brought to the healthcare market regarding hospital technical efficiency, taking the role of competition into account. We compare the two public reporting schemes, All-Payer Claims Database (APCD) and Hospital Compare. Employing Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and a cross-sectional time-series Tobit regression analysis, we found that APCD is negatively associated with hospital technical efficiency, while hospitals facing less competition responded significantly to increasingly transparent information by enhancing their efficiency relative to hospitals in more competitive markets. We recommend that policymakers take market mechanisms into consideration jointly with the introduction of public reporting schemes in order to produce the best outcomes in healthcare.

Correlation between different anticoagulation schemes of pregnant women with mechanical prosthetic heart valves and adverse fetal/neonatal outcomes

Pregnant women with mechanical prosthetic heart valves (MPHV) have adverse effects on the growth and development of the fetus. Data on MPHV pregnant women and their offspring from our hospital from 2014 to 2020 were retrospectively collected. There were 137 pregnancies, 96 in the warfarin group, 28 in the low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) group, 13 in the sequential treatment group. There are 27 cases of spontaneous abortion, 3 cases of stillbirth, 56 live births and 51 artificial abortion. The international normalized ratio (INR, P < 0.001), prothrombin time (PT, P = 0.014), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT, P = 0.035) of the neonates in the warfarin group were increased compared with the other two groups. Multivariate Tobit regression analysis showed that the probability of spontaneous abortion/stillbirth was positively correlated with INR before delivery (OR 1.13, P = 0.009) and valve usage time (OR 1.13, P = 0.009). The probability of malformation was positively correlated with worse heart function level (OR 1.20, P = 0.025) and INR (OR 1.18, P = 0.011) before delivery. The offspring of MPHV pregnant women who continuously take warfarin have poor outcomes and a significantly higher risk of early bleeding. Prenatal consultations for MPHV women should be strengthened to avoid unplanned pregnancy.

DETERMINANTS OF HOUSEHOLD’S POVERTY AMONG CROP FARMERS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

This study examined the households’ poverty status among crop farmers in Kaduna State. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 242 farmers for this study. Data were collected through using structured questionnaire with the help of trained enumerators. Descriptive and inferential statistics such as tobit regression and Foster, Greer and Thorbecke (FGT) model was employed in this study. The results showed that the mean age of the respondents was 45 years and were married, mean household size of the farmers was 11 persons, and about (80.6%) had formal education. The poverty situation of the farmers revealed that 51% were poor and the strategies adopted by the farmers to combat poverty were mostly through diversification into commercial farming, increased personal savings and involvement in non-farming activities. Tobit regression analysis revealed that age, household and income negatively influences the poverty status of the farmers, statistically significant at 1%, this implied that, poverty is concentrated among households in the study area. Major constraints encountered by the crop farmers, include high cost of inputs, inadequate credit facilities and inadequate market linkages. In conclusion, poverty incidence had a negative and significant effect on rural crop farmers. It was recommended that farmers should form cooperative societies to access micro loan; farmer should be linked to the urban market through extension agent and media to attract good value for their crops. Government and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) should make farm inputs readily available at a subsidized rate

BANKS EFFICIENCY, OWNERSHIP TYPE AND LISTING STATUS IN GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COUNTRIES: A CROSS-COUNTRIES ANALYSIS

Using data from 2005-2013, this paper analyzes banks efficiency across the GCC countries. This study examines the efficiency of GCC conventional and Islamic banks across the GCC countries while considering the impact of ownership type and listing status on banks efficiency by employing the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and a second stage Tobit regression analysis with bootstrapping. It is found that GCC conventional banks are by far more efficient than GCC Islamic banks and this conclusion holds across all GCC countries. It is also found that GCC state-owned banks outperform the GCC private-owned banks in general and across all GCC countries; and interestingly, GCC listed banks were less efficient than GCC unlisted banks. More, the main source of inefficiency in GCC banks was the scale inefficiency and GCC banks exhibited a decreasing return to scale. Therefore, GCC policymakers and regulators should not support any expansionary strategy in their banking industry.

Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Real-World Cost Consequence Analysis

PURPOSE: The present work aimed at conducting a real-world data analysis on the management costs and survival analysis comparing data from non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases diagnosed in the Veneto region before (2015) and after (2017) the implementation of a regional diagnostic and therapeutic pathway including all new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. METHOD: This study considered 254 incidental cases of NSCLC in 2015 and 228 in 2017 within the territory of the Padua province (Italy), as recorded by the Veneto Cancer Registry. Tobit regression analysis was performed to verify if total and each item costs (2 years after NSCLC diagnosis) are associated with index year, adjusting by year of diagnosis, sex, age, and stage at diagnosis. Logistic regression models were run to study overall mortality at 2 years, adjusting by the same covariates. RESULTS: The 2017 cohort had a lower mortality odd (odds ratio, 0.93; P = .02) and a significant increase in the average overall costs ( P = .009) than the 2015 cohort. The Tobit regression analysis by cost item showed a very significant increase in the average cost of drugs (coefficient = 5,953, P = .008) for the 2017 cohort, as well as a decrease in the average cost of hospice care (coefficient = –1,822.6, P = .022). CONCLUSION: Our study showed a survival improvement for patients with NSCLC as well as an economic burden growth. Physicians should therefore be encouraged to follow new clinical care pathways, while the steadily rising related costs underscore the need for policymakers and health professionals to pursue.