A agropecuária brasileira tem crescido nas últimas décadas e os ganhos de produtividade tem sido importante neste bom desempenho do setor. O presente trabalho tem dois objetivos principais. O primeiro deles foi mensurar o crescimento desta produtividade total dos fatores na agropecuária brasileira estadual, decompondo o crescimento da PTF em progresso tecnológico e eficiência técnica. O segundo objetivo foi analisar o efeito do crescimento da PTF da agropecuária brasileira sobre os preços agrícolas, no Brasil, de 1970 a 2006. O crescimento desta produtividade foi mensurado a partir dos insumos terra, trabalho e capital na função de produção translog sob orientação do produto, a partir do método de Fronteira Estocástica de Produção e do índice de produtividade de Malmquist. Para avaliar o efeito do crescimento da PTF sobre os preços agrícolas foi construído o índice de preços agrícolas utilizando-se o Índice de preços de Laspeyres para estimar o vetor autoregressivo em painel (panel- VAR), acrescentando as variáveis produtividade total dos fatores (PTF), salário rural, financiamento agrícola e renda per capita domiciliar. Além disso, foi aplicado o teste de causalidade, no sentido de Granger, e estimada a função impulso resposta. A base de dados utilizada foi, obtida do Censo Agropecuário, a nível estadual, para os anos de 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1995 e 2006. Os resultados indicaram que a taxa de crescimento da PTF foi crescente no Brasil e nos estados, sendo que, na maior parte das vezes, é explicada pelo progresso tecnológico, positivo e crescente para todos os estados. A eficiência técnica variou ao longo dos anos, apresentado taxas de crescimento médias positivas para a maioria dos estados. Em média, os estados estiveram situados abaixo da fronteira de produção da agropecuária brasileira. São Paulo foi o estado com maior nível de eficiência técnica. Embora a taxa de crescimento médio anual tenha sido positiva ao longo do período analisado, a eficiência reduziu para todos os estados analisados em 2006. Da análise dos efeitos do crescimento da PTF sobre os preços agrícolas, a PTF tem causalidade, no sentido de Granger, sobre os preços agrícolas. Na função impulso resposta, o choque inicial na variável PTF reduziu os preços nos primeiros anos. Assim, o crescimento da PTF do setor agropecuário contribuiu para o aumento da oferta de produtos, reduzindo os preços agrícolas. A maior disponibilidade de alimentos e, com a redução dos preços dos alimentos, os consumidores, principalmente os de renda mais baixa puderam ter maior acesso aos alimentos. / The Brazilian agriculture has grown in recent decades and productivity gains have been important in this good performance of the sector. This work had two main objectives. The first one was measure the growth of this total factor productivity in agriculture by the Brazilian\'s states, decomposing TFP growth by technological progress, technical efficiency and economies of scale. The second objective was to analyze the effect of TFP growth of Brazilian agriculture on agricultural prices. The growth in productivity was measured from the inputs like labor, gross and capital in the translog production function, from the Stochastic Frontier Analysis and of the outputoriented Malmquist productivity index. To analyze the effect of TFP growth on agricultural prices was constructed an index of agricultural prices through the Laspeyres price index to estimate the vector autoregressive panel (panel-VAR) and establish the relationships between TFP, rural wages, agricultural finance and income per capita household. The Granger causality test and the impulse response function were used to the data panel. The database used obtained from the Agricultural Census, at the state level for the years 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1995 and 2006. The results showed that the growth rate of TFP has been growing in Brazil and in the states, and technological progress explained most of the growth being positive and growing for all states. Technical efficiency varied over the years, presented positive average growth rates for most states. The states were located below the production frontier of Brazilian agriculture and São Paulo was the state with the highest level of technical efficiency. Although the average annual growth rate has been increasing over the period analyzed, the efficiency decreased to all state analyzed in 2006. The results also showed that TFP growth has causality in the sense of Granger, on agricultural prices. In the impulse response function, the initial shock in TFP decreased prices in the early years. Thus, TFP growth of the agricultural sector contributed to the increased supply of agricultural products, reducing agricultural prices. The greater availability of food and with reducing food prices, consumers, especially those from lower income might had greater access to food.

Nigeria, like all other rice consuming nations, has experienced a surge in domestic demand for rice since 1970. However, local rice production has not been sufficient to meet local demand, leading to this demand continually being filled by imports. The Federal Government of Nigeria has initiated subsidies programs intended to improve Nigerian rice farmers' technical and cost efficiency levels. This quantitative study evaluated the impact of these policies on the technical and cost efficiency levels of paddy rice farm households in Nigeria. Farrell's (1957) efficiency theory and production theory served as the theoretical frameworks. Data were collected from a cross-section of 300 paddy rice farmers drawn from 3 states in Nigeria. The study used 2 estimation techniques: parametric technique (SF) and the non-parametric technique (DEA). The results showed that paddy rice production in Nigeria was still profitable but low and the estimated average technical and cost efficiency levels from the DEA approach were 0.721 and 0.295, respectively. Evidence suggests that the formulation and implementation of subsidy programs on farm inputs were relevant in the variations of technical and cost efficiency levels across the rice farm households. The study findings support the continuity of the subsidy policies to encourage increased rice production; they also suggest that governments should address the issues of post-harvest losses, degrading irrigation facilities, and ineffective rural development policies. The positive social change implications of this research include providing information to inform government policy changes designed to more effectively address rice importation and pricing, positively impacting the standard of living for rural farmers and communities in Nigeria.

[pt] A redução das perdas não técnicas de energia elétrica (PNT) constitui atualmente um dos principais desafios enfrentados pelas concessionárias de distribuição de eletricidade nos países em desenvolvimento. Por depender em parte de fatores não gerenciáveis pelas distribuidoras, as PNT no Brasil são repassadas aos consumidores através de tarifas de eletricidade, seguindo os limites definidos pela Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (ANEEL). Apesar do notável progresso realizado pela ANEEL, à metodologia atualmente empregada pela Agência para definição desses limites apresenta uma série de limitações o que impõem ao regulador a adoção de medidas ad hoc que acaba resultando em metas de perdas pouco condizentes com a realidade das distribuidoras. Nas últimas três décadas diversos modelos matemáticos de Análise de Eficiência vêm sendo desenvolvidos com intuito de mensurar a eficiência relativa de grupos de agente. A adoção desses modelos, no entanto, tem se limitado a temas relacionados a custos operacionais e investimento. Essa dissertação tem por objetivo cobrir essa lacuna, propondo um modelo alternativo para a definição das metas regulatórias de PNT a partir de uma família particular de modelos de Análise de Eficiência – os modelos de Análise de Fronteira Estocástica (SFA). O modelo proposto foi aplicado a um painel de dados contendo observações anuais de 62 concessionárias de distribuição de energia elétrica brasileira no período de 2007 a 2017, resultando em um conjunto de metas de PNT mais aderentes às PNT reais das distribuidoras brasileiras. / [en] The reduction of non-technical losses of electrical power (NTL) are currently one of the main challenges faced by electricity utility companies in developing countries. Because it depends in part on factors not manageable by the utilities, in Brazil is passed on to consumers through electricity tariffs, following the limits defined by the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL). Despite the notable progress made by ANEEL, the currently used methodology by this Agency to define these limits has a number of limitations, which have impose the adoption of ad hoc measures that end up resulting in loss targets that are inconsistent with the reality of the utilities. In the last three decades, a several mathematical models of Efficiency Analysis have been developing in order to measure the relative efficiency of groups of agents. However, the adoption of these models by Regulator Bodies around the world has been limited to subjects related to operating costs and investment. This dissertation aims to fulfill this gap, proposing an alternative model for the definition of NTL regulatory targets from a particular family of Efficiency Analysis models - the Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) models. The proposed model has been applied to a data panel containing annual observations of 62 distribution concessionaires in the Brazilian electrical system from 2007 to 2017, resulting in a set of NTL targets more adherent to the real PNT of Brazilian electricity utility distributors.

Although the German framework of incentive-based energy regulation appears to be well-defined because it draws from international experience and eliminates several present drawbacks existing with revenue-cap regulation doubts of industry and politicians concerning the application of benchmarking techniques and more importantly, the future industry structure, remain. The regulation scheme is based on experience with energy sector reforms in the US due to it being a precursor in this regard, e.g. by introducing incentive-based regulation as early as 1994 and publishing the relevant data in a very detailed way. This thesis therefore brings together the two issues of certain efficiency measurement problems and the industry restructuring in Germany and the US in order to contribute to the current discussion of robust benchmarking and to provide political implications related to the industry’s structure. Therefore, the application of DEA and SFA constitutes the heart of the whole study. These techniques are applied on German electricity DSOs as well as on data for US electricity DSOs and US gas TSOs. The application to US data can then be used to derive information about business strategies and their success in a sector that is being restructured. The US experience will lead to relevant German policy implications with respect to the future structure of the energy industry in Germany. / Der deutsche Regulierungsansatz erscheint im Allgemeinen als ausgewogen, da er zum einen internationale Erfahrungen mit einbezieht und zum anderen bestehenden Schwächen der Erlös-Obergrenzenregulierung berücksichtigt. Dennoch bestehen Zweifel seitens Industrie- und Politvertretern bezüglich der Anwendung von Benchmarking-Techniken und noch bedeutsamer der zukünftigen Industriestruktur. Der regulatorische Rahmen basiert auf Erfahrungen aus der Regulierung der Energiewirtschaft aus den USA, da diese eine Vorreiterrolle in dieser Hinsicht innehaben, beispielsweise aufgrund der frühen Einführung der Anreizregulierung in 1994 und der sehr detaillierten Veröffentlichung der relevanten Daten. Diese Arbeit verknüpft daher diese zwei Aspekte zum einen der Existenz gewisser Problemfelder bei der Effizienzmessung als auch der Umstrukturierung der deutschen Industriestruktur in der Energiewirtschaft. Damit trägt sie zu der aktuellen Diskussion mit Bezug auf robustes Benchmarking bei und liefert zudem politische Implikationen bezüglich der Industriestruktur. Zu diesem Zweck steht die Anwendung der für die deutsche Regulierung der Energienetze relevanten Benchmarking-Techniken (Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) und Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA)) im Zentrum der gesamten Studie. Die empirischen Analysen beziehen sich dabei auf deutsche Elektrizitätsverteilnetzbetreiber sowie auf Elektrizitätsverteilnetzbetreibern und Ferngasgesellschaften aus den USA. Die Analysen von US Daten können dann genutzt werden, um gehaltvolle Informationen über Unternehmensstrategien und deren Erfolg in einem restrukturierten Sektor zu gewinnen. Diese Erfahrungen münden dann in Schlussfolgerungen und Empfehlungen für die deutsche Regulierung und Industriestruktur der deutschen Energienetzwirtschaft.

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Although the German framework of incentive-based energy regulation appears to be well-defined because it draws from international experience and eliminates several present drawbacks existing with revenue-cap regulation doubts of industry and politicians concerning the application of benchmarking techniques and more importantly, the future industry structure, remain. The regulation scheme is based on experience with energy sector reforms in the US due to it being a precursor in this regard, e.g. by introducing incentive-based regulation as early as 1994 and publishing the relevant data in a very detailed way. This thesis therefore brings together the two issues of certain efficiency measurement problems and the industry restructuring in Germany and the US in order to contribute to the current discussion of robust benchmarking and to provide political implications related to the industry’s structure. Therefore, the application of DEA and SFA constitutes the heart of the whole study. These techniques are applied on German electricity DSOs as well as on data for US electricity DSOs and US gas TSOs. The application to US data can then be used to derive information about business strategies and their success in a sector that is being restructured. The US experience will lead to relevant German policy implications with respect to the future structure of the energy industry in Germany. / Der deutsche Regulierungsansatz erscheint im Allgemeinen als ausgewogen, da er zum einen internationale Erfahrungen mit einbezieht und zum anderen bestehenden Schwächen der Erlös-Obergrenzenregulierung berücksichtigt. Dennoch bestehen Zweifel seitens Industrie- und Politvertretern bezüglich der Anwendung von Benchmarking-Techniken und noch bedeutsamer der zukünftigen Industriestruktur. Der regulatorische Rahmen basiert auf Erfahrungen aus der Regulierung der Energiewirtschaft aus den USA, da diese eine Vorreiterrolle in dieser Hinsicht innehaben, beispielsweise aufgrund der frühen Einführung der Anreizregulierung in 1994 und der sehr detaillierten Veröffentlichung der relevanten Daten. Diese Arbeit verknüpft daher diese zwei Aspekte zum einen der Existenz gewisser Problemfelder bei der Effizienzmessung als auch der Umstrukturierung der deutschen Industriestruktur in der Energiewirtschaft. Damit trägt sie zu der aktuellen Diskussion mit Bezug auf robustes Benchmarking bei und liefert zudem politische Implikationen bezüglich der Industriestruktur. Zu diesem Zweck steht die Anwendung der für die deutsche Regulierung der Energienetze relevanten Benchmarking-Techniken (Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) und Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA)) im Zentrum der gesamten Studie. Die empirischen Analysen beziehen sich dabei auf deutsche Elektrizitätsverteilnetzbetreiber sowie auf Elektrizitätsverteilnetzbetreibern und Ferngasgesellschaften aus den USA. Die Analysen von US Daten können dann genutzt werden, um gehaltvolle Informationen über Unternehmensstrategien und deren Erfolg in einem restrukturierten Sektor zu gewinnen. Diese Erfahrungen münden dann in Schlussfolgerungen und Empfehlungen für die deutsche Regulierung und Industriestruktur der deutschen Energienetzwirtschaft.

本文採用一階段隨機邊界分析法（Battese and Coelli, 1995）衡量2004 年第一季至2008 年第三季台灣上市櫃證券商的技術效率，並將Orea（2002）提出的產出導向一般化Malmquist生產力指數改寫成投入導向模式，用來分析台灣上市櫃證券商的生產力變動情形。實證結果顯示，小型券商之經營效率平均而言比大型券商之經營效率高，而大部分的證券商都呈現規模報酬遞增的技術狀態，可見台灣上市櫃證券商整體而言規模不夠大，必須設法再擴大至適當的規模方可發揮規模經濟效果。另外，較多的股本雖然理論上具備較強的競爭優勢，但可能沒有適當的決策支持，造成資源浪費反而降低經營效率；股價指數愈高，在相同的投入之下有較多的產出表現且較有能力調整規模至規模報酬較佳的狀況，因而提高經營效率。 / This paper adopts one-stage stochastic frontier analysis (Battese and Coelli, 1995) to measure technical efficiency of listed securities firms in Taiwan from the first quarter of 2004 to the third quarter of 2008. In addition, inspired by the Orea (2002) output orientated productivity model, this paper derives an input orientated generalized Malmquist productivity index to analyze the productivity change of the firms. The empirical results reveal that smaller securities firms are more efficient than larger securities firms in average. The majority of securities firms are operating with increasing returns to scale, indicating that the scale of listed securities firms in Taiwan are generally not large enough, so firms need to enlarge their scale in order to get the effect of economies of scale. Although more capital stocks possess stronger competitive advantage theoretically, without proper strategy to support the firms may waste resources and result in operational inefficiency. Operational efficiency is positively correlated with stock index.

本文採取隨機方向距離函數方法，探討制度變革前、後(第一次金融改革)對台灣銀行業技術效率的影響。資料期間涵蓋1999年至2012年。相較傳統Shephard距離函數，隨機方向距離函數方法最大優點係可同時考量增加意欲產出、減少投入與非意欲產出。本文依循Koutsomanoli-Filippaki et al. (2009a) 模型，並納入考慮非意欲產出。本文採取隨機邊界法進行實證估計，以最大概似法估計方向距離函數，依據Battese and Coelli (1995)的模型將環境變數納入實證模型 (主要模型)，並考量未包含環境變數之模型，與主要模型比較。此外，為凸顯非意欲產出之重要性，本文亦估計未考慮非意欲產出之模型以及傳統距離函數，以茲比較。 實證結果顯示，考慮非意欲產出與環境變數的主要模型，其估計結果相較其他模型之無效率明顯高估。2002年以前，技術無效率逐漸攀升。一次金改期間，技術無效率明顯下降，證明制度變革下，銀行效率獲得改善。惟2004年後反轉向上，尤其在雙卡風暴與次貸風暴期間，技術無效率明顯惡化。此外，本文將資料分群進行分析，發現公營銀行或是金控銀行較有效率。 / This paper aims to gain further insights into whether the policy of First Financial Restructuring (FFR) does improve the technical efficiency of banks in Taiwan during the period 1999-2012 by using the directional technology distance function (DDF). Compared to the conventional distance function, DDF simultaneously allows for the expansion of the desirables and the contraction of the undesirables. We follow Koutsomanoli-Filippaki et al. (2009a), and differing from them, we include undesirable outputs in DDF to depict a bank’s true production activities. We find on average that the banks have a lower technical inefficiency with the main model compared to the other models. However, prior to 2002, the technical inefficiency exhibits a gradual upward trend and then posts a downward trend during the FFR period. These results suggest that the improved efficiency in the FFR period is possibly due to enhanced banking and benefits obtained from compliance with FFR. After the FFR period, the inefficiency scores deteriorate sharply, especially during the “credit card and cash card crisis” in 2006 and “the subprime mortgage crisis” in 2008. Public banks are more efficient than private banks. Banks belonging to a financial holding company (FHC) may operate more efficiently than those belonging to a non-FHC.

This thesis uses innovative approaches to analyse energy policy interventions aimed at enhancing the environmental sustainability of energy use as well as its consequential welfare implications. First, we examine the relationship between energy efficiency improvement and CO2 emissions at the macro level. We use the Index Decomposition Analysis to derive energy efficiency by separating out the impact of shifts in economic activity on energy intensity. We then employ econometric models to relate energy efficiency and CO2 emissions accounting for non-economic factors such as consumers lifestyle and attitudes. The applications for 13 OPEC and 30 OECD countries show that at the country-group and individual country level, increase in energy intensity for OPEC is associated with both deteriorations in energy efficiency and shifts towards energy-intensive activities. The model results suggest that the reduction in energy efficiency in general go in tandem with substantial increases in CO2 emissions. The decline in energy intensity for OECD can be attributed mainly to improvements in energy efficiency which is found to compensate for the impact on CO2 emissions of income changes. The results confirm the empirical relevance of energy efficiency improvements for the mitigation of CO2 emissions. The method developed in this chapter further enables the separate assessment of non-economic behavioural factors which according to the results exert a non-trivial influence on CO2 emissions. Secondly, having empirically confirmed the relationship between energy efficiency improvements and CO2 emission at the macro level in Chapter 2, we investigate potential underlying drivers of energy efficiency improvements taking into account potential asymmetric effects of energy price change in Chapter 3. This is crucial for designing effective and efficient policy measures that can promote energy efficiency. In addition to the Index Decomposition Analysis used to estimate the economy-wide energy efficiency in Chapter 2, we also use Stochastic Frontier Analysis and Data Envelop Analysis as alternative methods. The driving factors are examined using static and dynamic panel model methods that account for both observed and unobserved country heterogeneity. The application for 32 OECD countries shows that none of the three methods leads to correspondence in term of ranking between energy efficiency estimates and energy intensity at the country level corroborating the criticism that energy intensity is a poor proxy for energy efficiency. The panel-data regression results using the results of the three methods show similarities in the impacts of the determinants on the energy efficiency levels. Also, we find insignificant evidence of asymmetric effects of total energy price but there is proof of asymmetry using energy specific prices. Thirdly, in Chapter 4 we offer an improved understanding of the impacts to expect of abolishing fuel price subsidy on fuel consumption, and also of the welfare and distributional impacts at the household level. We develop a two-step approach for this purpose. Key aspect of the first step is a two-stage budgeting model to estimate various fuel types elasticities using micro-data. Relying on these estimates and the information on households expenditure shares for different commodities, the second step estimates the welfare (direct and indirect) and distributional impacts. The application for Nigeria emphasises the relevance of this approach. We find heterogeneous elasticities of fuel demand among household groups. The distributional impact of abolishing the kerosene subsidy shows a regressive welfare loss. Although we find a progressive loss for petrol, the loss gap between the low- and high-income groups is small relative to the loss gap from stopping kerosene subsidy, making the low-income groups to suffer a higher total welfare loss. Finally, from the highlighted results, we draw the following concluding remarks in chapter 5. Energy efficiency appears a key option to mitigate CO2 emissions but there is also a need for additional policies aiming for behavioural change; energy specific prices and allowing for asymmetry in analysing the changes in energy efficiency is more appropriate and informative in formulating reliable energy policies; the hypothesis that only the rich would be worse-off from fuel subsidy removal is rejected and the results further suggest that timing of the fuel subsidy removal would be crucial as a higher international oil price will lead to higher deregulated fuel price and consequently, larger welfare loss.

金控銀行和獨立銀行在傳統在做績效評估時，可能都只考慮相同的技術水準，如此可能無法正確來衡量不同群體的的差異，而忽略其潛在的效率改善指標。因此，本文將先採用隨機邊界模型(SFA)，估出兩體系的隨機邊界模型，接著，再運用Rao (2006)所提出的共同邊界模型(metafrontier)，來進行兩個體系的銀行效率評估。 本研究運用了民國91年到民國97年期間，13家金控銀行與24家獨立銀行的資料為樣本，去分析此兩個群體的效率比較，可得以下結論： 1.在金控銀行與獨立銀行的個別隨機邊界中，兩個群體在於技術效率的表現上差異不大。 2.金控銀行的技術效率變動有越來越小的趨勢；而獨立銀行術效率沒有明顯的縮小的趨勢。 3.獨立銀行的技術缺口比TGR有顯著的大於金控銀行的TGR。 4.在共同邊界的技術效率中，獨立銀行的技術效率顯著的大於金控銀行 / Most of traditional banking performance evaluation analyses assume both financial holding banks and independent banks share the same level of technology, thus it may not able to identify the managerial efficiency difference of different groups correctly . In this research, a SFA model (Battese and Coelli, 1995) is used first to estimate the technologies and inefficiency factors for both systems. Then a deterministic linear programming metafrontier (Rao, 2006) is adopted to evaluate the technology gap ratio between two bank systems. We collect data of 13 financial holding banks and 24 independentbanks from 2001~2008. After analyzing two systems and making comparison, the main conclusions are as follows: 1.Two bank systems have a minor difference in SFA. 2.The variance on technical efficiency becomes smaller with time in financial holding banks, but not in independent banks. 3.Independentbanks’ TGR is significantly larger than financial holding banks’. 4.In metafrontier, technical efficiency of independent banks is significantly larger than financial holding Bbnks.