BENCHMARKING ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF UNIVERSITY EXTENSION: A STOCHASTIC FRONTIER APPROACH

Luanne Lohr and Timothy Park

No 16721, Faculty Series from University of Georgia, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics

Abstract: A stochastic frontier model is used to explain the performance evaluation of U.S. university extension providers by organic producers. The model makes explicit the nonmanagerial factors that influence both performance ratings and performance efficiency, defined as achieving a rating as close to the "best" rating as possible. Results indicate that extension agents are performing at relatively high mean efficiency of 0.92, but that the average rating is relatively low at 2.66 on a four-point scale. Several sources of potential bias in ratings are identified as a way for managers to more accurately conduct individual performance assessments. Programmatic changes to emphasize more collaborative research and training are suggested by the positive effects on performance efficiency associated with farmer research commitment and production problem severity.

Keywords: Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 28
Date: 2004
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/16721/files/fs04006.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:ugeofs:16721

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.16721

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Faculty Series from University of Georgia, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by AgEcon Search ().