The objective of this paper is to explain the variation in efficiency of credit unions over the past decade. This study creates an evaluation metric for credit union performance by using a nonparametric technique called data envelopment analysis (DEA). Efficiency is based on the credit unions ability to maximize the members’ benefits by providing adequate loans and savings accounts at low prices while minimizing the resources used. The sample consists of 704 credit unions from 2001 to 2010. Several environmental characteristics were found to influence efficiency. The findings demonstrate evidence for economies of scale as number of members, average savings size, and total assets all positively influence efficiency. The results also indicate that federal charter, number of branches, share of real estate loans, and average loan size negatively correlate with efficiency.

To date there is little evidence on the relationship between property-liability (P/L) insurer’s frontier efficiency measures and the market. The establishment of a connection is important since there are a number of difficulties associated with measuring P/L insurer efficiency—there is uncertainty regarding the firm’s primary objective, the main services produced, and the measurement of these services. The main goal of the dissertation is to assess the robustness of two approaches to measuring P/L insurer efficiency —the production approach (Cummins and Weiss, 2001) and the flow approach (Brockett, et al, 2004). A secondary objective is to evaluate the performance of two proxies for the production approach’s risk-bearing and “real” loss-services output to observe whether unexpected losses leads to a distortion of efficiency. A third purpose is to determine the sensitivity of the use of the policyholder supplied debt capital input in the production approach. A fourth aim is to evaluate the performance of the range adjusted measure (RAM) of efficiency compared to the traditional data envelopment analysis (DEA) method. A final objective is to assess the connection of accounting-based efficiency to market performance measures. The empirical evidence suggests that unexpected losses do not appear to overly distort the efficiency analysis. The production approach is not extraordinarily sensitive to the inclusion (or exclusion) of the policyholder supplied debt capital input. Traditional DEA measures of efficiency, in comparison to RAM, are more accurate predictors of insolvency and are more highly related to traditional measures of firm performance. Overall, the flow approach is not consistent with the production approach. Firms identified as highly efficient by the production approach are found to be significantly less likely to fail, indicating that the production approach is consistent with the economic reality of P/L insurance market. In contrast, high flow efficient firms are often found to have a higher proclivity to fail. Production approach efficiency is also more highly correlated to traditional measures of firm performance than flow measures of efficiency. The accounting-based production approach is directly related to market measures of firm performance, while flow efficiency is inversely related or unrelated to these measures.

This paper presents a statistical framework for estimating output-specific efficiencies for the 2-output case based upon a DEA frontier estimate. The key to the approach is the concept of target output-mix. Being usually unobserved, target output-mixes of firms are modelled as missing data. Using this concept the relevant data generating process can be formulated. The resulting likelihood function is analytically intractable, so a data augmented Bayesian approach is proposed for estimation purposes. This technique is adapted to the present purpose. Some implementation issues are discussed leading to an empirical Bayes setup with data informed priors. A prove of scale invariance is provided. (author's abstract) / Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

In this paper we propose one approach to implement environmental standards into Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and in this way to measure its regulatory impact on eco-efficiency of firms. As one basic feature of DEA models lies in the exogeneity of inputs, desirable and undesirable outputs, it is not possible to introduce environmental constraints for these parameters directly into existing DEA models. Therefore, we implement the environmental standard in a bounded-variable way, which allows constraints on the efficiency frontier. The regulatory impact is assessed as difference in eco-efficiency scores before and after fictive introduction of an environmental standard. Furthermore, we distinguish between weak and strong disposability of undesirable outputs and develop according models. Assessing the regulatory impact of environmental standards in advance provides support for environmental policy makers in choosing appropriate instruments and in adjusting the intensity of regulation. Moreover, the procedure can be applied in a wide range of markets, as the proposed model framework offers several options. Policy makers can choose between different environmental standards and different disposability assumptions. (author's abstract) / Series: Working Papers / Research Institute for Regulatory Economics

Any one organization or agency, whether for-profit or non-profit organizations that are seeking to enhance their efficiency, improve production technology, thereby achieving the goal of improving productivity, with a view to the current competitive environment. Efficiency measurement is very important, it can help decision makers understand whether the organization achieve technology progress and innovation objectives. In recent years, the government and civil organizations devote themselves to measure the change of organizational efficiency and productivity. Academia constantly research and develop various models of efficiency and productivity analysis, and application to actual cases analysis. Efficiency and productivity analysis has leapt to the mainstream of production economic studies. This empirical study adopts the census data of the classification of the Chamber of Commerce and industry of manufacturing in Taiwan, using two-stage approach to explore dynamic agglomeration externalities of 2-digit manufacturing. In the first stage, we apply dynamic network data envelopment analysis and Malmquist productivity index to calculate static efficiency and dynamic efficiency of 2-digit manufacturing. In the second stage, we apply Tobit regression analysis to verify a manufacturing geographical concentration effects on productive efficiency. We also adopt two-stage least squares methods (2SLS) to validate dynamic agglomeration externalities effects of manufacturing. Based on the results of this empical study, we propose some specific practical policy alternatives and management strategies. In the last 20 years, the strctures of Taiwan manufacturing industries have significant changes, the livelihood industry and of the sharp decline in industry, the chemical industry, electronics industry, metal machinery industry is growing fast. There is an obvous agglomeration tendency toward northern Taiwan region. In static efficiency, labour-intensive manufacturing industries tend to be diminishing return to scale rendering, while knowledge-intensive industries are rendering the increasing trend. The scale efficiency of eastern region manufacturing is very low, resulting in their productive efficiency significantly lower than the northern, central, southern regional manufacturing. In dynamic efficiency, the total factor productivity (TFP) of Taiwan manufacturing industries are rendering the growth trend, achieving the goal of innovation effect. However, the technical efficiency of manufacturing are rendering decline trend. This study found that the most important impact factor on production efficiency is the internal economies of scale. Localization economies, urbanization economies, and other static agglomeration economies external effect gradually reduce. Moreover, this study also found that Taiwan manufacturing industries have notable MAR professional dynamic external economics and notable Porter regional competitive dynamic external economic effect. Besides, Taiwan manufacturing industries has noticeable human resource dynamic external economics, but we also found low wages is beneficial to regional economic growth. We should not expand to explain Taiwan manufacturing-sweatshops. This phenomenon may be caused by high salaries, high rents, high land costs and high labor costs, these factors offset the interest of agglomeration economies. Finally, Taiwan and mainland China signed a cross-strait economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) in Chongqing on 29 June 2010. Taiwan manufacturing inevitably be impacted and influenced by ECFA. This is an important topic worthy of further study and discussion in the future.

Since local governments in Taiwan were given the power of self governance in 1950, the administrative divisions haven¡¦t been readjusted. After 60-year development, the population distribution and urban modes have totally changed. Without readjustment of the administrative divisions, human resource could not be reasonably deployed, resources wasted, regional development gaps widened and the entire country development was severely influenced. Under the impact of globalization and in response to new development in all aspects, such as politics, economics, society and territory, the governmental system and function have to be re-defined and administrative divisions and organization structure have to be readjusted to build an idealized and high-effective government. In recent years, local self-governing groups around the world also moved on to merging to cope with local fiscal predicament and promote the empowerment of local governing groups to enhance their administrative ability. The academic also comprehend the urgent importance of the merging of urban and rural townships and thus propose different resolution projects and strategies and directions of merging and adjustment. The author managed to sort different literature into supporting theories of merging and foreign cases about the merging of local self-governing groups. Based on the above theories and cases and through data envelopment analysis (DEA), the author simulated different merging programs of urban and rural townships, compared the efficiency before merging and that after merging, and proposed concrete suggestion towards the inefficient self-governing groups. The result showed that the program of merging urban and rural townships could increase the efficiency in every aspect. The conclusion can serve as reference to the future implement of the program of merging urban and rural townships.

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The Medical Care Network Plan was implemented by the DOH since July 1985. Taiwan area was divided into 17 medical regions. The objective of this plan was to shrink the gap of medical resources between medical regions in order to avoid the resources being repeatedly invested and wasted. Now, the unequally distributed medical resources have been improved. What is more, checking the efficiency of the use of medical resources has become an important task. Therefore, the purpose for this study is to evaluate the efficiency of the use of medical resources in Taiwan area's 17 medical regions. The results of this study can provide the government for reference in making decision of the medical resources policy. This study analyses a secondary data of the medical care network in 2003 to evaluate the efficiency of Taiwan area's 17 medical regions by Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Further, it uses the inferential statistics to identify the relationships about the efficiency and geographical locations, medical resource indicators, the ratio of public hospitals, and medical quality indicators. The results of this study are as follows: 1. Keelung, Ilan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, and Pingtung medical regions were relatively efficient in the overall efficiency. In the overall efficiency, Taipei, Taichung, Yunlin, Chiayi, and Kaohsiung medical regions were inefficient because of the scale inefficiency. 2. There was significant difference in overall efficiency in the 4 geographical regions (north, central, south and east regions) which the 17 medical regions belong to. Furthermore, the north region was more efficient than south and east region. 3. The relatively inefficient medical regions invested more inputs of medical resources, but they produced fewer outputs. The relatively efficient medical regions provided higher medical quality and productivity. 4. The medical region which had higher overall efficiency score showed the better medical quality, and lower ratio of public hospitals. On the contrary, the ratio of public hospitals was higher, the medical quality was lower. 5. The ways to improve the input variables of those inefficient medical regions were as follow: Taipei, Taichung, Yunlin, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung,Taitung, and Hualian medical regions needed to reduce the input variable in ¡§the ratio of physician to population¡¨. Taoyuan, Nantou, and Chiayi medical regions needed to reduce the input variable in ¡§medical benefit payments¡¨. According to the results of this study, it is highly suggested that the government should probe the distribution and utilization of medical resources of the inefficient medical regions in order to know the reasons why these regions were inefficient. That can provide the government for reference in making decision of the policy. We wish the utilization of medical resources in each medical region would be more economical and more efficient.

The purpose of this paper is to quantify the efficiency with which Taiwan universities utilize their teaching and scale resources. The study estimates the cost efficiency of 46 universities over the period 2001-2003 with 5 input and 4 output using data envelopment analysis (DEA). The present study differs from previous cost and efficiency studies of Taiwan universities in three ways. First, it discusses the scale (land square) in the performance. Second, it considers the combination policy of recent year in Taiwan. The last, this paper is using Malmquist index of 3 years data, which is less discussed in Taiwan. The results show that Taiwan universities have a bad performance in the scale efficiency, and land square of universities do effect the performance, but the location in Taiwan does not. And the established year also does not effect the performance. Second, many private universities have better performance in the technical efficiency from VRS DEA, but the newly established universities do not have scale efficiency very well. Third, compare Taiwan universities with the University of Tsukuba, only National Tsing Hua University can contend with.

In this essay, we use two stage data envelopment analysis (Two-stage DEA) with an application to evaluate the efficiency of six teams from Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) during 2004 to 2005. In the essay, we use three methods to develop the research. First, we use the Window Analysis based on fewer DMUs situation. Second, the modification across different period has been made by Malmquist Index Analysis. Last one is Cross Efficiency; we use it for ranking efficiency performance for those teams during 2004 to 2005. According to above methods, it shows that: 1. the efficiency performance of Brother Elephants, Sinon Bulls, Chinatrust Whales, Uni Lions in the management stage is better than it in the production stage, vice versa Macoto Cobras and La new Bears in the production stage is better than management stage. 2. Each team is over optimal scale in the production stage during 2004 to 2005. 3. The result of overall performance during is shown as following place: Bulls, Elephants, Lions, Cobras, Whales, Bears; the orders in production stage are Cobras, Whales, Bulls, Bears, Elephants, Lions; the orders in management stage are Elephants, Bulls, Lions, Cobras, Bears, Whales. 4. The Malmquist Productivity Index across different period each year indicates that only La new Bears reach 4.7% according average growth rate.