Abstract
This paper proposes an innovative approach to evaluate the causal impact of a policy change in a multi-input multi-output setting. It combines insights from econometric impact evaluation techniques and efficiency analysis. In particular, the current paper accounts for endogeneity issues by introducing a quasi-experimental setting within a conditional multi-input multi-output efficiency framework and by decomposing the overall efficiency between ‘group-specific’ efficiency (i.e., reflecting internal managerial inefficiency) and ‘program’ efficiency (i.e., explaining the impact of the policy intervention on performance). This framework allows the researcher to interpret the efficiency scores in terms of causality. The practical usefulness of the methodology is demonstrated through an application to secondary schools in Flanders, Belgium. By exploiting an exogenous threshold, the paper examines whether additional resources for disadvantaged students impact the efficiency of schools.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1111-1124 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | European Journal of Operational Research |
Volume | 290 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 May 2021 |
JEL classifications
- i25 - Education and Economic Development
- d04 - "Microeconomic Policy: Formulation; Implementation; Evaluation"
- i23 - Higher Education and Research Institutions
Keywords
- Causal inference
- Data envelopment analysis
- Efficiency
- Efficiency analysis
- Equal educational opportunities
- Impact evaluation
- Innovative approaches
- MIMO systems
- Multi input multi output
- Overall efficiency
- Policy changes
- Policy intervention
- Secondary schools
- MANIPULATION
- PERFORMANCE
- EDUCATION
- DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS
- NONPARAMETRIC FRONTIER MODELS
- TECHNOLOGIES
- ENDOGENEITY
- PRODUCTIVITY
- REGRESSION DISCONTINUITY DESIGN
- EFFICIENCY