[alpha]-Returns to scale and multi-output production technologies

Jean-Philippe Boussemart, Walter Briec, Nicolas Peypoch and Christophe Tavera ()

European Journal of Operational Research, 2009, vol. 197, issue 1, 332-339

Abstract: This contribution proposes a specification of strictly increasing and decreasing returns to scale in multi-output technologies. Along this line a notion of [alpha]-returns to scale is derived from that of homogeneous multi-output technology. For a large class of technologies we establish necessary and sufficient conditions characterizing strictly increasing and strictly decreasing returns to scale to scale. Furthermore, a relationship between input, output and graph distance functions is established. These connections lead naturally to a link between the various Malmquist indexes and the Chavas-Cox productivity index. Finally, we show that these concepts can be implemented in a DEA context using a piecewise homogeneous constant elasticity substitution-transformation model due to [Färe, R., Grosskopf, S., Njinkeu, D., 1988b. On piecewise reference technologies. Management Science 34, 1507-1511].

Keywords: D24; Returns; to; scale; Distance; function; Productivity; growth; Malmquist; index (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ejores:v:197:y:2009:i:1:p:332-339

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