Chapter 1: Introduction -- Chapter 2: Conceptual background: firms’ objectives, decision variables and economic efficiency -- Part I -- Chapter 3: Shephard’s input and output distance functions: cost and revenue efficiency decompositions -- Chapter 4: The generalized distance function (GDF):...

We analyze potential gains from hypothetical mergers in local public transport using the non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis with bias corrections by means of bootstrapping. Our sample consists of 41 public transport companies from Germany's most densely populated region, North...