Production Frontiers and Productive Efficiency
Abstract
When discussing the performance of production units, it is common to describe them as being more or less “efficient,” or more or less “productive.” In this chapter1 I discuss the relationship between these two concepts, and I consider some hypotheses concerning the determinants of producer performance as measured by efficiency and productivity. I then tum to an analysis of some of the techniques that have been developed for measuring efficiency and productivity. Since these techniques are discussed in detail in the next three chapters, and illustrated in subsequent chapters, my analysis of them is brief and nontechnical. It focuses on the differences among the techniques, and on their relative strengths and weaknesses.
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The ability to observe each unit more than once can translate into more accurate estimates of efficiency than can be obtained from a single cross-section.
“The ability to observe each unit more than once can translate into more accurate estimates of efficiency than can be obtained from a single cross-section (Greene, 1993;Lovell, 1993).”
From Technical efficiency in developing country agriculture: a meta‐analysis (2001) · cites this paper as Lovell, 1993
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- Authors
- Lovell, C. A. K.
- Corresponding author
- Lovell, C A Knox
- ORCID
- Lovell, C A Knox
- Venue
- The Measurement of Productive Efficiency
- Publisher
- Oxford University PressNew York, NY
- Published
- 1993-04-22
- Pages
- 3-67
- OpenAlex
- W4388062704
- Cited by
- 687
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 44 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 21
- FWCI
- 47.28
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Efficiency Analysis Using DEA
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Economic Growth and Productivity
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Agricultural economics and policies
- Keywords
- production frontier, productive efficiency, productivity measurement, efficiency measurement
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