Measuring Scientific Productivity in China Using Malmquist Productivity Index

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the scientific productivity of China's science system. Design/methodology/approach: This paper employs the Malmquist productivity index(MPI) based on Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA).Findings: The results reveal that the overall efficiency of Chinese universities increased significantly from 2009 to 2016, which is mainly driven by technological progress. From the perspective of the functions of higher education, research and transfer activities perform better than the teaching activities.Research limitations: As an implication, the indicator selection mechanism, investigation period and the MPI model can be further extended in the future research.Practical implications: The results indicate that Chinese education administrative departments should take actions to guide and promote the teaching activities and formulate reasonable resource allocation regulations to reach the balanced development in Chinese universities.Originality/value: This paper selects 58 Chinese universities and conducts a quantified measurement during the period 2009–2016. Three main functional activities of universities(i.e. teaching, researching, and application) are innovatively categorized into different schemes, and we calculate their performance, respectively.

A comparative analysis of Japanese firm productivity： Solow residual and Malmquist productivity index

For some time, two major kinds of Total Factor Productivity （TFP） have existed independently of each other： the Solow residual and the Malmquist Productivity Index （MPI）. The Solow residual was introduced in macro economic growth models, and the MPI has been used in micro economics and management studies. As both indices were developed independently, few studies utilize both together and compare the results. This paper uses the same data to compare the two productivity indices by setting to determine the economic implications of combining the two indices. We discovered that we could decompose TFP with each aspect of the Soiow residual and MPI. We could then interpret their relationship in the business cycle. Our results indicated that the frontier shift in MPI of Japanese firms often occurred when the Solow residual increased, meaning that improving oroductivitv with the Solow residual could be generated by a firm that could shift new production frontiers.

Overall profit Malmquist productivity index under data uncertainty

The calculation of the overall profit Malmquist productivity index(MPI)requires precise and accurate information on the input,output,input-output prices of each decision making unit(DMU).However,in many situations,some inputs and/or outputs and input-output prices are imprecise.As such,we consider the overall profit MPI problem when the input,output,and input-output prices are imprecise and vary over intervals,showing that method(MCM 54:2827–2838,2011)has some shortfalls.To remedy these shortfalls,we propose another method for measuring the overall profit MPI when the inputs,outputs,and price vectors vary over intervals.That is,to calculate the overall profit efficiency intervals,cone-ratio data envelopment analysis models can be applied to the incorporated information as weight restrictions.Further,we provide a new approach to calculating the upper bound of the overall profit efficiency of each DMU.A numerical example is provided for illustrating the proposed method.

Estimating the Three-Stage Cost Malmquist Productivity Index in the Taiwan Biotech and Biopharmaceutical Industry

This paper estimates and decomposes the output-oriented three-stage cost Malmquist productivity index of the Taiwan Residents biotech and biopharmaceutical （B＆BP） industry in 2004-2007 periods. The empirical estimations proceed in three stages. Following the methodology of Yang and Huang （2009） with the assumption of variable return to scale （VRS） in the first stage, the original cost Malmquist productivity index （CM） is decomposed into five sources of productivity change： pure technical efficiency change, technical change, allocative efficiency change （AEC）, input-price effect, and cost scale efficiency change. The method of Yang and Huang （2009） is an excellent contribution, but it did not deal with the exogenous environmental variables and noises. In the second stage, the original input variables are adjusted by the exogenous environmental variables. Finally, adjusted input variables produced by the second stage are reused for obtaining the reality of CM in the third stage.

Productivity change of national health systems in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region:application of DEA-based Malmquist productivity index

Background:The pursuit of efficiency and productivity is one of the goals of health systems.In the era of Sustainable Development Goals and particularly the move towards universal health coverage,it is imperative to curb wastage of resources to ensure sustainable access of the population to needed and effective health services without enduring financial hardship.This study aims to assess total factor productivity change of national health systems of 20 countries in the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region.Methods:Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA)-based Malmquist index is used to assess total factor productivity change and its components-efficiency change and technical change.To assess the robustness of the Malmquist index estimates,bootstrapping was performed.Outputs used are life expectancy at birth for both sexes and infant mortality;while total expenditure on health per capita in international dollars(PPP)is used as a measure of input.Panel data for the period 2003-2014 was extracted from databases of the WHO and the World Bank.Results:In all but five countries covered in the study,a decline in the mean total factor productivity is observed during the period 2003-2014.The decline is driven by technical regress.In all countries,the technical change component of the Malmquist TFP index is less than unity(range:0.896 to 0.945).All countries exhibited growth in efficiency(efficiency change exceeding one)except two countries(Djibouti and Iraq).The growth in efficiency was mainly due to change in scale efficiency.Overall,total factor productivity in the region declined by 3.8%.This was due to a 9.1%decline in technical change,which overshadowed the 5.8%increase in efficiency.Three countries-Libya,Qatar and Yemen-showed a marginal growth in total factor productivity.There was no change in total factor productivity in Kuwait and Lebanon.Conclusion:The decline in total factor productivity over the study period is likely to hamper achieving the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 3 of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.It is recommended that country-level studies on efficiency and productivity of health systems be conducted in order to intensively examine the determinants of inefficiency and productivity decline and implement appropriate interventions that could enhance efficiency and productivity.

DEA-based Malmquist Productivity Index Measure of Operating Efficiencies:New Insights with an Application to Container Ports

To investigate the long-term operating efficiencies of container ports, we extend the work of previous researches to present a new systemic and improved method of data envelopment analysis （DEA）-based Malmquist productivity index （MPI） in this paper. An approach based on both panel data and multi-inputs/outputs is considered comprehensively, and aims at measuring the operating efficiencies of 10 leading container ports in China from 2001 to 2006 by applying this new systematic influence factor of total factor productivity change is the calculation method. The results illustrate that the main technology change, and the container transportation of these 10 ports is on the healthy development status and will recover and grow reposefully in the following years

Bootstrapping Data Envelopment Analysis of Efficiency and Productivity of County Public Hospitals in Eastern, Central, and Western China after the Public Hospital Reform

China implemented the public hospital reform in 2012. This study utilized bootstrapping data envelopment analysis（DEA） to evaluate the technical efficiency（TE） and productivity of county public hospitals in Eastern, Central, and Western China after the 2012 public hospital reform. Data from 127 county public hospitals（39, 45, and 43 in Eastern, Central, and Western China, respectively） were collected during 2012–2015. Changes of TE and productivity over time were estimated by bootstrapping DEA and bootstrapping Malmquist. The disparities in TE and productivity among public hospitals in the three regions of China were compared by Kruskal–Wallis H test and Mann–Whitney U test. The average bias-corrected TE values for the four-year period were 0.6442, 0.5785, 0.6099, and 0.6094 in Eastern, Central, and Western China, and the entire country respectively, with average non-technical efficiency, low pure technical efficiency（PTE）, and high scale efficiency found. Productivity increased by 8.12%, 0.25%, 12.11%, and 11.58% in China and its three regions during 2012–2015, and such increase in productivity resulted from progressive technological changes by 16.42%, 6.32%, 21.08%, and 21.42%, respectively. The TE and PTE of the county hospitals significantly differed among the three regions of China. Eastern and Western China showed significantly higher TE and PTE than Central China. More than 60% of county public hospitals in China and its three areas operated at decreasing return scales. There was a considerable space for TE improvement in county hospitals in China and its three regions. During 2012–2015, the hospitals experienced progressive productivity; however, the PTE changed adversely. Moreover, Central China continuously achieved a significantly lower efficiency score than Eastern and Western China. Decision makers and administrators in China should identify the causes of the observed inefficiencies and take appropriate measures to increase the efficiency of county public hospitals in the three areas of China, especially in Central China.

The efficiencies and their changes of China＇s resources-based cities employing DEA and Malmquist Index Models

Employing DEA model and Malmquist productivity index, this paper probes into the urban efficiencies of 24 typical resources-based cities in China and their changes from 2000 to 2008. The research finds that the overall efficiencies of the resources-based cities are just at a general level, and only a few of them reach the optimal level. The scale efficiency is the major determining factor of the achievement of overall efficiency, the effect of which, nevertheless, is reducing. From the perspective of classification characteristics, the resources-based cities in northeastern region have been in the front rank in terms of overall efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency. There is a certain positive correlation between urban population scale and urban efficiency. The analysis of urban efficiency changes shows that the changes in overall efficiency of resources-based cities from 2000 to 2008 had a weak improving tendency. Both the technical change index and productivity change index decreased, indicating that the urban efficiency did not improve during this period, and the tendency of technical recession and productivity decline was obvious. In terms of the classification of urban efficiency changes, the urban overall efficiency improved in each of the four regions from 2000 to 2008, among which western region witnessed the greatest increase. Cities with different resource types have improved their urban overall efficiencies except steel-based cities. The urban overall efficiency increased in resources-based cities of different scales, with greater improvement in small and medium-sized cities than in big cities.

Performance Evaluation of Food and Beverage Listed Companies in Vietnam

During the last decade,the food and beverage industry has been one of the most significant and prioritized industries that contributed to the economic growth in Vietnam.Therefore,how to enhance the performance of food and beverage firms has become a critical factor for Vietnam’s economic development.This research aims to use the data envelopment analysis(DEA)and the Malmquist productivity index(MPI)to assess changes in operational performance and productivity of listed lead food and beverage firms in Vietnam during the period between 2015 and 2020.The obtained results reveal that Vietnamese food and beverage firms were generally inefficient between 2015 and 2020 because the number of relatively inefficient companies was higher than the relatively efficient ones in each year between 2015 and 2020.The MPI findings indicate the growth in productivity during the study period as a result of technological progress.By integrating the findings of the relative efficiency and productivity change,this study creates five decision-making matrixes for five periods,respectively,from 2015 to 2020 to position the food and beverage firms in each sector.The analytical results provide instructions to senior managers on developing strategy for increasing efficiency of food and beverage listed companies in Vietnam.

Measuring Performance Evolution of Academic Journals in Management Science and Operations Research:A DEA-Malmquist Approach

This paper aims to measure the productivity of academic journals in the field of management science and operations research on the basis of a data envelopment analysis(DEA)-Malmquist approach.Using the empirical results,we make the following findings:(1)Compared with the DEA-CCR(Charnes,Cooper,Rhodes)model,the DEA-BCC(Banker,Charnes,Cooper)model may overestimate the performance of journals with a shorter cited half-life and fewer articles,and may underestimate the performance of journals with a longer cited half-life and more articles;(2)The average performance of journals in the management science and operations research field progressed by 1.8%during 2007-2014,which was a result of the frontier-shift effect;(3)The gap between the best journals on the DEA frontier and the rest of the journals is increasing because the best journals grow relatively faster;(4)High-level journals have made more progress and their performance is more stable,and the difference between high-level journals was also smaller during 2007-2014;and,(5)A higher total factor productivity value corresponds to higher Association of Business Schools rankings for certain journals.

Measuring Environmental Performance of Provincial Thermal Power Plants in China:A Malmquist DEA Approach with Fixed-Sum Undesirable Outputs

With the development of China’s economy,environmental pollution has become cumulatively serious.The primary source of environmental pollution is thermal power generation,which has attracted the attention of governments and academia in recent years.To effectively reduce environmental pollution,research should study how to constrain the undesirable output of thermal power plants,that is,to limit the total undesirable output of the plants to a certain fixed sum.However,few studies have suggested that these undesirable outputs should be fixed-sum outputs.Moreover,no previous research publication about thermal power plants has analyzed their environmental performance changes.To address these gaps,a novel Malmquist-DEA approach is proposed for evaluate the environmental performance of thermal power plants in this paper.This approach generalizes the equilibrium efficient frontier DEA model with fixed-sum undesirable outputs and incorporates the model into the Malmquist productivity index(MPI).The authors apply this approach to the analysis of provincial thermal power plant environmental performance in China and analyze such plants’trends based on panel data from2011 to 2014.The empirical research shows that the environmental performance of regional thermal power plants was positively affected by efficiency change and negatively affected by technical change.Finally,the authors provide policy suggestions based on our findings.

Post-earthquake economic resilience and recovery efficiency in the border areas of the Tibetan Plateau: A case study of areas affected by the Wenchuan Ms 8.0 Earthquake in Sichuan, China in 2008

The border areas of the Tibetan Plateau and the neighboring mountainous areas have a high incidence of earthquakes with a magnitude greater than Ms 5.0, as well as having a dense distribution of geological disasters such as collapses, landslides, and debris flows. Revealing the post-disaster economic development and recovery process is very important for enhancing disaster prevention and response capacity in order to formulate control policies and recovery methods for post-disaster economic reconstruction based on economic resilience. Using long-term socioeconomic data and the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model, this paper calculated the economic resilience index of the areas most severely affected by the Wenchuan Earthquake of 2008 and adopted the improved variable returns to scale (VRS) date envelopment analysis (DEA) model and the Malmquist productivity index to analyze the efficiency and effect of annual post-disaster recovery. The results show that: (1) the economic resilience index of the areas most severely affected by the Wenchuan Earthquake was 0.877. The earthquake resulted in a short-term economic recession in the affected areas, but the economy returned to pre-quake levels within two years. In addition, the industrial economy was less resilient than agriculture and the service industry. (2) The comprehensive economic recovery efficiency of the disaster-stricken area in the year following the disaster was 0.603. The comprehensive efficiency, the pure technical efficiency, and the scale efficiency of the plain and hilly areas were significantly greater than those of the plateau and mountain areas. (3) The annual fluctuation in total factor productivity (TFP) following the disaster was considerable, and the economic recovery efficiency decreased significantly, resulting in a short-term economic recession. The TFP index returned to steady state following decreases of 33.7% and 15.2%, respectively, in the two years following the disaster. (4) The significant decrease in the post-disaster recovery efficiency was caused mainly by technological changes, and the renewal of the production system was the leading factor in determining the economic resilience following the disaster. With the decline in the scale of economic recovery following the earthquake, long-term economic recovery in the disaster-stricken areas depended mainly on pure technical efficiency, and the improvement in the latter was the driving force for maintaining the long-term growth of the post-disaster economy. Therefore, according to the local characteristics of natural environment and economic system, the disaster-stricken areas need to actively change and readjust their economic structures. At the same time, attention should be paid to updating the production system to enhance the level of technological progress and give full play to the scale effects of large-scale capital, new facilities, human resources, and other investment factors following the disaster so as to enhance the impact of economic resilience and recovery efficiency in response to the disaster.