Exploring efficiency differentials between Italian and Polish universities, 2001-11

摘要

In this study, data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to evaluate the relative efficiency of a sample of 54 Italian and 30 Polish state universities over the period 2001-11. The investigation was conducted in two steps. Unbiased DEA efficiency scores were first estimated and then regressed on external variables to quantitatively assess the direction and size of the impact of potential determinants. The analysis reveals a strong heterogeneity in the efficiency scores for each country, which is more pronounced than the difference in average efficiency scores between them. There is evidence that efficiency is determined by the structure of a university's revenues and academic staff: competitive versus non-competitive resources, and the number of professors. The study also explores the variation in the efficiency and productivity over time. While changes in pure efficiency were similar between the two countries, the efficiency frontier improved more in Italy than in Poland.