In this paper we introduce a new Malmquist productivity index that has three attractive features: it avoids linear programming infeasibilities under variable returns to scale, it allows for technical regress, and it does not need to be recomputed when a new time period is added to the data set....

In this paper we examine the performance of the target setting procedure employed by one of the largest savings banks in Spain, Caja de Ahorros del Mediterraneo, to evaluate the operating performance of its branch offices. We begin by evaluating the ability of the branch offices to meet the...

This study employs data drawn from the 2000 Agricultural Resource Management Survey, a U.S. Department of Agriculture-sponsored farmers' survey. The article estimates returns to scale relationships across dairy farms of different sizes and across different regions, incorporating variables...

In this article we estimate the technical and environmental efficiency of a panel of Dutch dairy farms. Nitrogen surplus, arising from the application of excessive amounts of manure and chemical fertilizer, is treated as an environmentally detrimental input. A stochastic translog production...