This paper shows how scale efficiency can be measured from an arbitrary parametric hyperbolic distance function with multiple outputs and multiple inputs. It extends the methods introduced by Ray (J Product Anal 11:183–194, <CitationRef CitationID="CR8">1998</CitationRef>), and Balk (J Product Anal 15:159–183, <CitationRef CitationID="CR1">2001</CitationRef>) and Ray (<CitationRef CitationID="CR9">2003</CitationRef>)...</citationref></citationref></citationref>

"Using administrative records on Australian income support (welfare) recipients over the period July 1995 to June 2002, we examine dynamic properties of income support receipt and the personal characteristics associated with alternative patterns of receipt. We draw on three concepts:...