How to Deal with Non-Convex Frontiers in Data Envelopment Analysis

K. Tone () and M. Tsutsui ()
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K. Tone: National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
M. Tsutsui: Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry

Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, 2015, vol. 166, issue 3, No 16, 1002-1028

Abstract: Abstract In data envelopment analysis, we are often puzzled by the large difference between the constant-returns-scale and variable returns-to-scale scores, and by the convexity production set syndrome in spite of the S-shaped curve, often observed in many real data sets. In this paper, we propose a solution to these problems. Initially, we evaluate the constant-returns-scale and variable returns-to-scale scores for all decision-making units by means of conventional methods. We obtain the scale-efficiency for each decision-making unit. Using the scale-efficiency, we decompose the constant-returns-scale slacks for each decision-making unit into scale-independent and scale-dependent parts. Following this, we eliminate scale-dependent slacks from the data set, and thus obtain a scale-independent data set. Next, we classify decision-making units into several clusters, depending either on the degree of scale-efficiency or on some other predetermined characteristics. We evaluate slacks of scale-independent decision-making units within the same cluster using the constant-returns-scale model, and obtain the in-cluster slacks. By summing the scale-dependent and the in-cluster slacks, we define the total slacks for each decision-making unit. Following this, we evaluate the efficiency score of the decision-making unit and project it onto the efficient frontiers, which are no longer guaranteed to be convex and are usually non-convex. Finally, we define the scale-dependent data set by which we can find the scale elasticity of each decision-making unit. We apply this model to a data set of Japanese universities’ research activities.

Keywords: Data envelopment analysis; S-shaped curve; Constant returns-to-scale; Variable returns-to-scale; Scale elasticity; 90C05; 90B50; 91B06; 91B38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10957-014-0626-3

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