In this paper we show that given a utility threshold Luenberger’s benefit function correctly represents individual preferences as long as specific reference commodity bundles are considered. We further show a condition which is sufficient for reaching Pareto optimality that generalizes...

In for-profit organizations, profit efficiency decomposition is considered important since estimates on profit drivers are of practical use to managers in their decision making. Profit efficiency is traditionally due to two sources – technical efficiency and allocative efficiency. The...

The determination of closest efficient targets has attracted increasing interest of researchers in recent Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) literature. Several methods have been introduced in this respect. However, only a few attempts exist that analyze the implications of using closest targets on...

As a measure of overall technical inefficiency, the Directional Distance Function (DDF) introduced by Chambers, Chung, and Färe ties the potential output expansion and input contraction together through a single parameter. By duality, the DDF is related to a measure of profit inefficiency,...

We discuss how to properly decompose economic efficiency when the underlying technology is non-homothetic using alternative allocative and technical efficiency criteria. We first show that only under the production of one output and assuming the particular case of constant returns to scale...

As a measure of overall technical inefficiency the Directional Distance Function (DDF) introduced by Chambers, Chung, and Färe ties the potential output expansion and input contraction together through a single parameter. By duality, the DDF is related to a measure of profit inefficiency, which...

An issue that has received little attention in the Data Envelopment Analysis literature is the decomposition of profit inefficiency by means of measures that account all sources of technical inefficiency. In this paper we introduce a new way to measure and decompose profit inefficiency through...

In this paper, we show how Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) may be used to measure and decompose revenue inefficiency, taking into account all sources of technical waste in the context of an application to assess the Spanish quality wine sector, in particular Designation of Origin (DO) wines. We...

Apart from the well-known weaknesses of the standard Malmquist productivity index related to infeasibility and not accounting for slacks, already addressed in the literature, we identify a new and significant drawback of the Malmquist–Luenberger index decomposition that questions its validity...