The availability of efficiency estimation software –freely distributed via the internet and relatively easy to use –recently inflated the number of corresponding applications. The resulting efficiency estimates are often used without a critical assessment with respect to the literature on...

This research aims to comtribute to the discussion on the importance of theoretically consistent modelling for stochastic efficiency analysis. The robustness of policy suggestions based on inferences from efficiency measures crucially depends on theoretically well-founded estimates. The...

Existing studies of agricultural production largely neglect technology heterogeneity. However, the assumption of homogeneous production may result in inadequate policy implications. There is a growing literature on this issue. In this paper we contribute to this literature by modelling the...

The Fourier Flexible form provides a global approximation to an unknown data generating process. In terms of limiting function specification error, this form is preferable to functional forms based on second-order Taylor series expansions. The Fourier Flexible form is a truncated Fourier series...

This paper proposes an alternative specification for technical efficiency effects in a stochastic production frontier model. The proposed specification is distribution free and thus eschews one-sided error term present in almost all the existing inefficiency effects models. The efficiency...

The availability of efficiency estimation software - freely distributed via the internet and relatively easy to use - recently inflated the number of corresponding applications. The resulting efficiency estimates are used without a critical assessment with respect to the literature on...

This paper proposes a stochastic frontier panel data model which includes time-invariant unobserved heterogeneity along with the efficiency effects. Following Paul and Shankar (2018), the efficiency effects are specified by a standard normal cumulative distribution function of exogenous...

The Fourier Flexible form provides a global approximation to an unknown data generating process. In terms of limiting function specification error, this form is preferable to functional forms based on second-order Taylor series expansions. The Fourier Flexible form is a truncated Fourier series...

The dominant practice in economics is to choose the mathematical specification of model relations on the basis of convenience, without much theoretical support. This paper discusses how quantitative model specifications can, in some cases, be given a more formal scientific underpinning in the...

The dominant practice in economics is to choose the mathematical specification of model relations on the basis of convenience, without much theoretical support. This paper discusses how quantitative model specifications can, in some cases, be given a more formal scientific underpinning in the...