Efficiency of municipal legislative chambers

A novel study of Brazilian city council efficiency using the non-parametric estimator FDH (free disposal hull) with bias correction is presented. In regional terms, study results show a concentration of efficient councils in the southern region. In turn, those in the northeastern and southeastern regions are among the most ineffective councils. In these latter two regions, most councils could at least double their outputs while maintaining the same volume of inputs. Regarding population size, for cities with up to 500,000 inhabitants, more than 60% of city councils could at least quadruple their output. Regarding inefficiencies revealed through non-discretionary variables (environmental variables), the study results show a correlation between councilor education levels and city council efficiency.