A two-stage data envelopment analysis approach to measure waste management efficiency within Italian municipalities

Angela Rella, Nicola Raimo and Filippo Vitolla

Social Responsibility Journal, 2025, vol. 21, issue 5, 1066-1085

Abstract: Purpose - This study aims to address the growing challenges posed by consumerist behavior in ecosystems, leading to increased waste production and escalating costs in waste management. The goal is to investigate the waste management efficiency of Italian municipalities and the factors affecting their efficiency levels. Design/methodology/approach - A two-stage bootstrap Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used to assess the waste management efficiency level of a selected sample of 147 Italian municipalities. Additionally, a truncated regression model is used to investigate the factors affecting waste management efficiency. Findings - This study reveals a medium-high level of waste management efficiency across Italian municipalities. Additionally, it highlights the negative effect of unemployment rates on waste management efficiency within Italian municipalities, alongside the positive influence of the council’s political ideology and electoral turnout. Originality/value - The novelty of this study is the unique application of combined methods in the Italian context, providing a nuanced perspective on municipal waste management efficiency. This approach contributes novel insights to the existing literature in this field.

Keywords: Waste management; Data envelopment analysis; Efficiency; Public sector; Municipalities; Italian context (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:srjpps:srj-12-2024-0859

DOI: 10.1108/SRJ-12-2024-0859

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