Der vorliegende Beitrag diskutiert die optimale Organisation der Wasserversorgung unter Berücksichtigung der grundlegenden Gutscharakteristika und der spezifischen Produktions-struktur. Nach einer formalen Beschreibung der einzelnen Produktionsstufen und der realen Organisation des...

The provision of adequate infrastructure capital is crucial for the economic development and transition of rural areas in the former command economies of Central and Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, the commonly held perception of water and sewerage companies in economies of transition is, that the...

This discussion paper attempts the investigation of inefficiency with respect to water suppliers in rural areas of East and West Germany. This is done by using a nonradial measure of input-specific allocative inefficiency based on the demand system derived from a flexible cost function for the...

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 aims to deliver empirical evidence on the links between production efficiency, biodiversity, and resource management by analysing a case study on small-scale tobacco production in the Miombo woodlands in Tanzania. The subsistence nature of tobacco production in Tanzania suggests that...

This paper focuses on smallholder maize production in Malawi by investigating the linkbetween productivity and soil fertility management. Many studies conducted in Malawi indicate declining levels of maize productivity thereby posing food security concerns, since maize is the staple crop for...

We analyzed the efficiency levels of nine of the largest commercial seed‐producing firms globally for the period 2008–2015 and assessed if there is a relationship between firm size and efficiency. We employed the nonparametric technique of data envelopment analysis (DEA) using an...

In the Indo-Gangetic Plains, one of India's most productive agricultural regions, smallholder livelihood vulnerability can inhibit sustainable development. As there are significant differences in economic development, natural resources and agricultural productivity within the region, we estimate...