This dissertation consists of four essays which investigate efficiency analysis, especially
when non-discretionary inputs exist. A new approach of the multi-stage Data Envelopment
Analysis (DEA) for non-discretionary inputs, statistical inference discussions, and
applications are provided. In the first essay, I propose a multi-stage DEA model to address
the non-discretionary input issue, and provide a simulation analysis that illustrates the
implementation and potential advantages of the new approach relative to the leading existing
multi-stage models of non-discretionary inputs, such as Ruggiero's 1998 model and Fried,
Lovell, Schmidt, and Yaisawarng's 2002 model. Furthermore, the simulation results also
suggest that the constant returns to scale assumption seems to be preferred when
observations have similar sizes, but variable returns to scale may be more appropriate when
their scales are different. In the second essay, I make comments on Simar and Wilson work
of 2007. My simulation evidence shows that traditional statistical inference does not
underperform the bootstrap process proposed by Simar and Wilson. Moreover, my results
also show that the truncated model recommended by Simar and Wilson does not outperform
the tobit model in terms of statistical inference. Therefore, the traditional method, t-test, and
the tobit model should continue to be considered applicable tools for a multi-stage DEA model with non-discretionary inputs, despite contrary claims by Simar and Wilson. The third
essay raises an example of applying my new approach to data from Texas school districts.
The results suggest that a lagged variable (e.g. students' performance in the previous year), a
variable which has been used in the literature, may not play an important role in determining
efficiency scores. This implies that one may not need access to panel data on individual
scores to study school efficiency. My final essay applies a standard DEA model and the
Malmquist productivity index to commercial banks in Thailand in order to compare their
efficiency and productivity before and after Thailand?s Financial Sector Master Plan (FSMP)
that was implemented in 2004.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2009-05-643 |
| Date | 2009 May 1900 |
| Creators | Asava-Vallobh, Norabajra |
| Contributors | Jansen, Dennis W. |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Dissertation, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
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