Evaluating target achievements in the public sector: An application or a rare non-parametric DEA and Malmquist indices

This paper provides an assessment of the extent to which targets set by a public authority are achieved by its operational units. A rare DEA framework and its subsequent Malmquist indices are applied on data comprising 19 units over a four year period of 1996 to 1999. The mean efficiency scores by which targets are achieved across the sample years are moderate, in the range 0.81 to 0.93. Average productivity progress across the sample years has been 26 percent. The results illustrate the usefulness of DEA even when there are no inputs and the decomposable Malmquist index for productivity is an asset in exploring causes of productivity growth.