Data Envelopment Analysis Journal > Vol 2 > Issue 2

Data Envelopment Analysis with Aggregated Inputs and a Test of Allocative Efficiency When Input Prices Vary Across Firms

Subhash C. Ray, Department of Economics, U-63, University of Connecticut, USA, subhash.ray@uconn.edu , Kankana Mukherjee, Economics Division, Babson College, USA, kmukherjee@babson.edu
 
Suggested Citation
Subhash C. Ray and Kankana Mukherjee (2017), "Data Envelopment Analysis with Aggregated Inputs and a Test of Allocative Efficiency When Input Prices Vary Across Firms", Data Envelopment Analysis Journal: Vol. 2: No. 2, pp 141-161. http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/103.00000015

Publication Date: 27 Sep 2017
© 2017 S. C. Ray and K. Mukherjee
 
Subjects
Productivity measurement and analysis
 
Keywords
Cost efficiencyDistance functionInput aggregation
 

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In this article:
1. Introduction 
2. Characterizing the Technology 
3. The DEA Methodology 
4. Input Aggregation when Prices vary Across Firms 
5. Measuring the Effect of Variation in Relative Prices Through Simulation 
6. Conclusion 
References 

Abstract

In this paper we generalize the allocative efficiency test of Banker et al. (2007) to the situation where relative input prices vary across firms. It is shown that when firms face different input prices, using actual expenses for measuring aggregated inputs (as is a common practice) would lead to misleading conclusions about allocative efficiency. We describe the appropriate procedure for constructing the aggregate input when the relative prices are known and they vary across firms. The parallel between input aggregation in DEA and parameter restriction in regression models is also pointed out. The proposed aggregation procedure needs to be followed, irrespective of whether the subsequent statistical test is parametric, standard nonparametric, or based on bootstrap.

DOI:10.1561/103.00000015

Erratum for References

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Commentary submitted by: Valentin Zelenyuk. Date Accepted: 8 February 2018.

  • Description: On page 160, the name in the following reference needs to be changed from Zalenyuk to Zelenyuk. The correct reference is: Färe, R., S. Grosskopf, and V. Zelenyuk (2004), “Aggregation Bias and its Bounds in Measuring Technical Efficiency”, Applied Economics Letters, 11, 657–60.