Search

Port efficiency has different meanings for various stakeholders. This paper examines the existing studies on the efficiency types and analysis perspectives. Most studies focused on traditional port efficiencies (i.e., the technical, allocative and economic efficiency). Some extended these traditional types by considering ships' time in port and the negative environmental impacts. The majority of studies assessed port efficiency from the perspective of port authorities, managers, and operators. Few did it from the perspective of the users and the public. Even fewer noticed the possible conflicts between the port service level and its profitability. This highlights the need for port efficiency analyses to balance the interests of different stakeholders. Frontier methods are popular in port efficiency evaluation, but publications extending or combining different methods are still very rare. Several issues are identified, including the consistencies between decision-making units and the selection of input/output variables, the nature of port services, the extension and combination of these methods, and the impacts of new developments and occurrences, which can be the direction of further studies. • 301 studies on port efficiency analysis are reviewed from types and perspectives. • Majority assessed port traditional efficiency from the perspective of port. • Analysing efficiency from different perspectives needs more attentions. • Frontier methods are widely used, new approaches with combined methods are rare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the relationship between logistics, intermodality and airport efficiency. To this end, using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), the efficiency of the 21 largest European airports has been estimated over the 2009–2014 period. In a second stage, this research analyses the effect of Logistics and Modal Integration on airport efficiency. The airport's ability to compete globally depends, greatly, on the passengers and cargo' access to efficient networks. The results show evidence of the positive impact of the quality of the national logistics system on Airport efficiency. The effect of Logistics on overall airport efficiency is estimated at 0.15% for every 1% increase in the Logistic Performance (LPI), ceteris paribus. Furthermore, airports that have a direct link to a High-Speed Rail (HSR) network are expected to perform, on average, 27 per cent above the rest of the airports. Finally, airports that offer more facilities to optimise the interface between airport and aircraft are expected to achieve higher efficiency levels. • Airport's ability to compete globally depends on the access to efficient networks. • This paper find evidence of the positive impact of the quality of the national logistics system on Airport efficiency. • The effect of Logistics on airport efficiency is estimated at 0.15% for every 1% increase in the Logistic Performance. • Having Direct link to a High-Speed Rail (HSR) is crucial for hub airports efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effects of HSR development on airport technical efficiency and the labor productivity at airports. Existing literature mainly focuses on the impacts of HSR on passenger traffic. In addition to passengers, HSR development may influence airports' other outputs such as cargo and flight movements together with various inputs. These inputs and outputs collectively determine airports' technical efficiency. With access to a dataset consisting of 46 Chinese airports and 16 Japanese airports from 2007 to 2015, the paper firstly adopts both the standard two-stage Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and double bootstrap methods to evaluate the impacts of HSR development on airports' technical efficiency. We then evaluate the effects of HSR on airport labor productivity which is measured by both work-load units per employee and aircraft movements per employee. Our main findings indicate that HSR development relates to a decline in airport efficiency. Airports located in cities that have better connectivity or accessibility in the HSR network suffer more efficiency loss than the others. It is also observed that the locational advantage of HSR stations relative to airports is negatively associated with airport efficiency. By contrast, good intermodal linkage between the airport and its nearest HSR station is positively correlated with airport efficiency. Furthermore, the study reports different results between China and Japan with respect to the effects of HSR on labor productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing environmental awareness of citizens, sustainable fashion has become a hot topic in industry, academia, and society. The importance of product eco-design (ED) in ensuring the sustainability of organizations and supply chains cannot be overstated. This paper aims to establish an eco-design performance evaluation system and identify the most effective management mechanism. To achieve this goal, a linked two-stage network Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model is developed. This model has a well-defined internal structure and potential causal relationships between variables; and the two stages are Internal and Supplier Management (ISM) and Openness and Collaboration (OC). We analyze stage and overall efficiencies using proactive, reactive, and simultaneous approaches. Additionally, we explore the convergence characteristics of the industry's ED efficiency from 2015 to 2018. The results show that the overall ED efficiency of fashion enterprises is significant when considering the interrelatedness of subsystems. However, there is disharmony between the two stages. As the proactive approach, ISM is the optimal strategy to maximize ED efficiency. On the other hand, OC is critical to eco-design performance. This paper contributes to the existing literature by developing an innovative DEA analytical framework for evaluating eco-design performance. It also identifies the most eco-efficient way to achieve better environmental performances, which allows decision-makers to better allocate their design efforts and improve both short- and long-term corporate sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper disentangles resource management skills of candidates from the electoral circumstances that help them getting (re-)elected. It is first made use of the DEA method to measure candidates' resource management abilities. Second, determinants of these scores are estimated. The paper uses a database detailing the different sources of campaign funding for French members of Parliament to analyze their relative performance. Results show a large variance in campaign resource management ability, particularly between political parties, and incumbents and newcomers. They also reveal an important role of constituencies' characteristics and of politicians' experience in explaining differences between politicians' efforts. Thus, public policies could promote virtuous regulations to reduce disparities among candidates with different financial backgrounds and access to resources, to foster a fairer democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the working process of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) with dead-ended anode (DEA), the accumulation of water and nitrogen in the anode flow channel will cause its transient working performance to degrade. Generally, the transient working performance is recovered by periodically opening the anode outlet for gas purging. However, the purging time under gravity will change the distribution state of water and gas in the anode flow channel, thus seriously affecting the working performance of PEMFC with DEA. In this paper, the influence mechanism of purging time on the performance of PEMFC with DEA under gravity is investigated by theoretical analysis and experimental method. The results show that if the purging time under gravity is shorter, the faster the transient working performance of PEMFC with DEA decreases in the next working cycle, and the area with high current density distribution is always close to the gas inlet of the flow channel, as well as the area with low current density distribution is always close to the gas outlet of the flow channel. Moreover, the effect of different purging times on the local current density distribution will lasts for a long time, and also have significant effects on the accumulation and distribution status of water at the anode side under gravity. The results can provide an important guidance for optimizing the purging strategy of PEMFC with DEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing amount of resources is being utilized to combat the pollution problem in China. Measuring and improving the efficiency of this resource allocation is an effective way to promote pollution treatment at the present technical level. This paper utilizes a two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to attain allocation results based on the zero-sum gain and fixed-sum gain assumptions. We divide all the inputs into discretionary and non-discretionary inputs and construct two models for allocating resources based on the environmental efficiency scores. The new models are applied to calculate the performance and resource allocation scheme of 30 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2015. Most provinces are inefficient at controlling pollution emission or treating pollution while using the given level of input resources. Based on the production possibility set of each province in 2015, the processing capacity of wastewater and gas could be increased by 1% and 3%, respectively, by reallocating resources for pollution treatment among different provinces. Environmental efficiency scores and resource allocation plans based on various assumptions are obtained in this paper to enlighten the corresponding decision-makers. Image 1 • The paper constructs two resource allocation models based on the DEA approach. • This research considers the allocation of public pollution treatment resources between different sectors. • Two strategies for resource allocation are composed to deal with different conditions relating to resources. • We apply the new models to measure the performance of 30 regions in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metal industry (MI) in China is energy and emissions intensive. This paper tries to provide guidance for the green development transformation of China's MI, by investigating the green total-factor productivity (GTFP) and its influencing factors using a global data envelopment analysis and a spatial Tobit regression model. The estimation results show that: (1) from 2000 to 2015, GTFP of China's MI enjoyed a considerable improvement. However, the current value of GTFP of China's MI is still less than 0.5, indicating that GTFP of China's MI is far from efficient; (2) the spatial correlation test shows that GTFPs of China's provincial MIs have positive spatial correlations. Most of the provinces scattered in "high-high" and "low-low" agglomerations; (3) GTFP of China's MI is significantly positive related to the degree of marketization, fiscal decentralization, environmental regulation, industrial scale, is significantly negative related to resources endowment and product structure, and has "U" shaped relationship with the level of economic development. The above results suggest that China already has made remarkable achievements in promoting green development of its MI. However, there is much room for further improvement. Policy options for the green development transformation of China's MI include but are not limited to promoting market-oriented and financial system reforms, strengthening environmental supervision, and optimizing industrial scale and product structure. Finally, recommendations for the effective implementation of these policies are provided at the end of the study. • This paper analyzed the historical performance and influencing factors of GTFP of China's MI. • Results show that GTFP of China's MI achieved considerable improvement in the past few years. • However, the current level of GTFP of China's MI is still very low. • There are many effective policy options for further promoting GTFP growth of China's MI. • Some implications for the implementation of these policies are provided in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Both fuzzy DEA and fuzzy TOPSIS are applied to a common dataset of logistics service providers. • TOPSIS outperforms DEA in both calculation complexity and sensitivity to number of suppliers. • Output rankings from the two models are found to be less than perfectly correlated. • Utilizing both methods produces a useful pooled shortlist of potential sustainable suppliers. • The results provide a basis for negotiating price and service quality commitments. Abstract This paper presents a comparative analysis of the outcomes achieved when two widely applied methods for supplier selection—the 'technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution' (TOPSIS) and 'data envelopment analysis'—are applied to the problem of identifying the most preferred sustainable suppliers. Both fuzzy DEA and fuzzy TOPSIS are applied to a common dataset of logistics service providers in Sweden. The results reveal that TOPSIS outperforms DEA in terms of both calculation complexity and sensitivity to changes in the number of suppliers. However, output rankings from the two models are found to be less than perfectly correlated. The paper concludes that utilizing both methods, as applied to just a small number of evaluation criteria and a relatively low level of detail in the data, produces a useful pooled shortlist of potential sustainable suppliers. This can then form the basis for a second stage application where either of the methods may be applied to a greater number of criteria that are specified to a higher level of detail. Even more critically, the results also have the potential to point to specific aspects for discussion when negotiating price and service quality commitments with potential sustainable suppliers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper deals with the efficiency of the 28 European Union (EU) Member States for the years 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014 by employing Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and directional distance function to tackle undesirable outputs. Eight parameters are used, namely municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, employment rate, capital formation, gross domestic product (GDP), population density and for the first time sulphur oxide (SOx), nitrogen oxide (NOx) and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions from the waste sector for the relevant countries. The innovation of this paper lies in the fact that both new parameters are taken into account and that diverse modelling techniques have been employed in terms of the outputs and inputs used. The empirical results obtained were bias corrected in order to get the correct efficiency scores for each country studied. Overall the most efficient countries were shown to be Germany, Ireland and the UK. These results were then reviewed against the recycling rate of each country for the examined time periods. The recycling rate actually depicts the DEA results, namely more efficient countries seem to have a higher recycling rate too. Moreover the DEA efficiency results were contrasted to the overall treatment options used in the countries under consideration. Overall it is noticed that countries employing all four treatment options with high use of more sustainable ones and decrease in the use of landfill are the ones that also proved to be efficient according to DEA. These results resemble the image of a financial crisis hit Europe which tried to take advantage of the more sustainable treatment options in order to achieve a transition to a circular economy, whereas the value of products, materials and resources needs to be maintained in the economy for as long as possible and the generation of waste minimised. This can be a valuable lesson for policy makers in the design and application of national and EU legislations and directives in order to achieve also the targets towards a circular economy driven Europe. Highlights • Employing DEA to assess national waste generation. • Three novel environmental production frameworks designed. • Directional distance function to tackle undesirable outputs. • Comparison of results with treatment options and recycling rates. • Policy implications under a circular economy approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In recent years latent heat energy storage (LHES) has received a worldwide focus in the area of solar still applications. Among various techniques available to improve the productivity of solar stills, heat storage is one of the proverbial areas in the present scenario. LHES surpasses sensible heat energy storage (SHES) in solar still applications owing to its properties like latent heat, thermal conductivity, etc. Focus has to be given in the selection of suitable LHES material since its properties are very significant during the performance and operation of solar stills. Though previous reviews on LHES in solar stills focus only on the productivity enhancement, this paper presents an up to date comprehensive review exclusively about LHES in solar stills focusing on its productivity, properties of LHES materials and the mechanisms behind the variation in properties of LHES materials. Further, in addition to this, a detailed analysis is also presented in this paper by employing analytical hierarchy process (AHP) which enable the researchers to prioritize the properties during the selection of LHES in solar still applications. Besides AHP analysis, we also evaluate the relative efficiency of the available LHES materials for solar still application by data envelopment analysis (DEA) to find the frontier LHES materials thereby suggesting the methods to augment the properties of the frontier material (identified through DEA analysis). Thus, this paper may be a reference guide in the near future for the academicians, researchers to get an overview about the various LHES materials used in solar stills and significance of their properties for improving the yield in solar still applications. Highlights • Exclusive focus was given to latent heat energy storage (LHES) material properties. • Analytical hierarchy process is used to find hierarchy of LHES material properties. • Data envelopment analysis is used to find the relative weights of LHES material. • Paraffin is found as better LHES material by multicriteria decision making process. • Future research directions were also discussed in LHES material for solar still. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-efficiency is an important index to measure the degree of sustainable development, and is now attracting emerging attentions from both academia and industry. Based on previous data envelopment analysis (DEA) studies on environmental performance, this paper combines the big data environment, specific environmental issues in recent years, and related environmental policies. This study illustrates a more specific production process for pursuing higher environmental performance (it is not possible to further reduce undesired outputs by remodelling the process) and proposes a dynamic environmental performance evaluation model that considers the use of environmental inputs multiple times based on DEA. Our model can achieve dynamic and forward-looking evaluations of environmental performance in all stages based on real-time data that contains environmental protection inputs in sustainable cycles. Due to the dynamic and forward-looking results of the model evaluation, our model can also assist DMUs (decision-making units) in selecting schemes to enable them to have higher eco-efficiency from numerous schemes of environmental protection and achieve scientific decisions in the era of big data. This paper also demonstrates an illustration of real-world data of China's major coal-fired power plants. Besides quantitatively showing how the power plants to adjust their production plans and environment protection plans, the results imply that there exists a positive correlation between the redundant inputs and the scales as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of its rapid economic development, China is faced with serious issues of resource shortage and environmental pollution. This paper is aimed at exploring the issues of resource shortage and environmental pollution in Chinese cities by means of efficiency evaluation. Through the Super-efficiency general directional distance function (GDDF) model, this paper calculates the urban efficiencies of resource-saving (UERS) of 197 Chinese cities from 2011 to 2015. Furthermore, considering the environmental problems, it applies the Super-efficiency GDDF model with undesirable outputs, and accesses the urban efficiencies containing environmental factors (UEEF). The empirical results are listed as follows. (1) Most of the Chinese cities exhibited comparatively low UERS and UEEF, indicating great potential for the reduction of resource consumption and environmental pollution; (2) Those groups with higher levels of resource-saving efficiency tend to have poorer environmental efficiency. This means that many cities achieve good economic performance at the expense of the environment; (3) In order to realize the sustainable economic and social development, we should not only save resources, but also reduce the emission of pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bus rapid transit systems (BRT) have evolved in all shapes and sizes around the world in the last 30 years motivated by providing greater efficiency and value for money than potential alternatives. This paper aims to explore and compare the effectiveness (including its determinants) and revenue potential of 58 BRT systems globally. A key research question for this paper is to what extent there is a trade-off between long term capital expenditure and short term operating cost. The results suggest that BRT systems located in developing countries or countries that have high population densities are successful in generating higher revenues per passenger and unit of input than their conventional bus counterparts but are from a community perspective not more cost effective in doing so. Better BRT standards and hence higher capital expenditure, while significantly increasing patronage and input effectiveness do not have a significant impact on either yields or cost effectiveness. In contrast, public ownership and the number of stations are on average associated with higher cost effectiveness scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs data envelopment analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist index (MI) to investigate the growth effects of knowledge-based technological change and technological efficiency change on the output of the industrial sector in Taiwan. The results reveal two main findings: First, due to the lack of knowledge-based scale efficiency, there is no improvement in knowledge-based technological efficiency during the period from 1997 to 2019. Although both the direction of the change in R&D expenditure per researcher and that in education spending time per worker can explain the knowledge-based technological efficiency change, the long-term average of the growth rate of technical efficiency change is negative; thus, the positive coefficient of the technical efficiency change to output growth still makes a negative contribution to the output growth. In other words, if the scale efficiency can be improved, the contribution of knowledge-based technological efficiency change to output growth can be reversed. Second, an increase in R&D expenditure per researcher is more important than an increase in education spending time per worker, especially in knowledge-based technological change. In addition, the results indicate that Taiwan's economic growth driver mainly comes from technological change. The contribution of knowledge-based technological change to manufacturing output growth is close to 65%, especially in the last 20 years. Furthermore, both knowledge-based technological efficiency change and technological change have a positive and significant coefficient of output growth in the Taiwanese industry. Therefore, in addition to continuing to increase R&D to enhance the growth of technological change and facilitate the growth of output, if the contribution of technological efficiency change to output growth can be improved, Taiwan's output growth will be more stable in the future. Overall, knowledge plays a key role in industrial growth and economic growth, and R&D promotes more direct growth than education in Taiwanese industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Efficiency assessment when the data are both integer and interval- valued. • Interval arithmetic and partial orders are required. • The integer interval DEA technology is derived from appropriate axioms and the Minimum Extrapolation Principle. • A two-phase slacks-based DEA model is proposed for efficiency assessment and target setting. The present paper studies the efficiency assessment of Decision-Making Units (DMUs) when their inputs and outputs are described under uncertainty of the type of integer interval data. An axiomatic derivation of the production possibility set (PPS) is presented. An additive, slacks-based data envelopment analysis (DEA) model is formulated, consisting of two phases. This has required the use of adequate arithmetic and LU-partial orders for integer intervals. This novel integer interval DEA approach is the first step towards DEA models under fuzzy integer intervals, with the extension of the corresponding arithmetic and LU-partial orders to fuzzy integer intervals. The proposed method is applied on a dataset, taken from the literature, that involves both continuous and integer interval variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of China's forestry resources has never been more challenging due to serious problems such as shortage, inferiority and uneven distribution of forestry resources. Therefore, the study and evaluation of China's forestry resources has a great significance to improve efficiency and ensure the sustainable development of the forestry resource. Meanwhile, the vast territory, huge population and widespread forest landscape of China have led to the numerous indexes and the huge data. To perform the research and evaluation accurately, this paper utilized the big data theory to analyze the relevant data of China's forestry resources. This study collected the data from 31 inland provinces and municipalities of China from 2005 to 2013, after which we carefully examined economic, social and ecological factors to choose assessment indexes and processed data accordingly. Firstly, we performed a cross-sectional dataset analysis using the method of data envelopment analysis to investigate the forestry resources efficiency in 31 inland provinces and municipalities of China in years 2008, 2012 and 2013. Secondly, we analyzed time series data of the 31 inland provinces and municipalities from 2005 to 2013 using the Malmquist total factor productivity index method. Our results showed the dominant factor that restraining forestry resources efficiency for the 31 inland provinces and municipalities is the implemented technology. So we suggest increasing the investment in science and technology to improve the overall efficiency of forestry resources, along with improvement of operation and management by relevant administrative departments to improve technology utilization. The innovation of this paper lies in the dynamic process of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how the efficiency of universities is affected by the characteristics of the territory in which they operate. The theoretical framework combines two perspectives: (1) the resource dependence theory, suggesting that the location of university can determine the amount of resources available to it; (2) institutional isomorphism, according to which the characteristics of other higher education institutions located in the same area may shape the university production function and the efficiency of its operations. In order to test this framework we use data on Russian universities and a non-parametric conditional order-m efficiency estimator with two categories of contextual variables. The first group includes the social, economic and cultural characteristics of the region where the university is located, while the second deal with the characteristics of other higher education institutions located in the same region. The main contribution of this paper is that it applies efficiency models that incorporate exogenous factors associated with a geographical area in context of higher education. Our findings highlight that the managerial efficiency of universities is strongly associated with the contextual factors of the environment in which they are embedded. Important policy implication of this result is that different public policies in higher education should treat particular universities differently depending on characteristics of context in which they operate. • We analyze how characteristics of the territory where a university is exert in influence its efficiency. • Efficiency of universities is strongly associated with the contextual factors of the environment. • The strongest predictors of universities efficiency are variables reflecting competitive environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions are long lasting issues and need continuous research to improve efficiency evaluation and performance monitoring of economies. The static and dynamic aspects of efficiency need to be dealt with simultaneously to thoroughly analyze the performance of economies. This paper aims at conducting a static and dynamic analysis of energy and CO 2 emissions efficiency of major economies. In this paper, we applied slacks based model of Tone (2001) with the treatment of undesirable output in objective function and constraint assuming free disposability of undesirable output and built a dashboard. The results can be summarized by saying that the larger economies with intensive production strategy, larger secondary industry, and weaker carbon tax laws are more likely to be inefficient. China, India, and Russia have the greatest potential for improvement in both energy efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions efficiency. The suggested dashboard has the ability to dig out the potential for efficiency improvement of countries like the USA, which mostly appear at the efficient frontier with other techniques. Concluding it can be suggested that economies in lower ranks of dashboard need stricter policy measures to cut energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions and encourage a shift from fossil fuels to other renewable resources of energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Eco-efficiency assessment of municipalities in the provision of solid waste services. • Eco-efficiency evaluation integrates unsorted waste as undesirable output. • Global inefficiency and individual inefficiency scores were computed. • Exogenous variables affecting eco-efficiency scores were investigated. Improving the eco-efficiency of municipalities in the provision of municipal solid waste (MSW) services is fundamental in the context of a circular economy. This study evaluates the eco-efficiency of a sample of Spanish municipalities, integrating the total cost as input, recyclable waste as desirable output, and unsorted waste as undesirable output. Following a pioneering approach, the weighted Russell directional distance model (a non-radial data envelopment analysis model) was employed, which allowed us to obtain a global inefficiency score and individual inefficiency scores for each variable integrated in the model. In the second stage of analysis, the potential factors affecting the previously computed inefficiency scores were investigated. The results indicated that one third of the municipalities evaluated were eco-efficient in the provision of MSW services with the total cost being the variable in which the municipalities exhibited the best performance. Moreover, the size of the municipalities, population served, population density, tourism, and availability of containers for separative collection of paper, glass, and plastic significantly affect the eco-efficiency of the municipalities. The findings of this study provide detailed information to support decision-making for the policy makers to improve the eco-efficiency of the municipalities in managing MSW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inverse Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method is primarily used to analyze the changing relationship between the inputs and outputs of production units while preserving efficiency levels. This paper aims to perform an efficiency and post-efficiency analysis of 130 public hospitals in Iran. However, we faced with some hospital data that are only available in form of ratios. This motivates us to develop a novel and proper inverse DEA methodology capable of dealing with such cases. We develop the theoretical foundation of the inverse DEA-R model as a post-efficiency analysis approach. Both input-oriented and output-oriented inverse models are developed. In the end, we apply the proposed models for efficiency assessment and moreover inverse analysis of 130 public hospitals in Iran. • In this paper, data envelopment analysis models for ratio data are presented. • Using the concept of inverse data envelopment analysis, models are proposed to estimate ratio inputs and/or ratio outputs. • The feasibility and performance of the proposed models have been proven. • The proposed models are used to estimate the criteria of 130 hospitals in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is aimed at introducing new version of DEA compressor and turboDEA, a novel gas turbine cycle that is specially configured to work by this compressor. This paper explains a preliminary study based on computer modeling for evaluating potential of the concept to heighten gas turbine technology. The paper is started by explaining mechanism of DEA compressor operation and its components, and is followed by designing a sample DEA compressor. Besides capability to adaptation to environmental elements, such a compressor potentially can operate with considerably less energy than conventional types. To show advantages of DEA compressor, performances of a sample turboDEA and its counterpart turbojet are calculated and compared. The comparison shows considerably low fuel consumption and higher flexibility of turboDEA beside turbojet. The study also presents performance sizing of the sample DEA compressor based on proper non-dimensional quantities, which shows its superior ability to adapt to environmental elements and user demands. Finally, cell actuator as the key part of DEA compressor is modeled and analyzed by ANSYS Multiphysics package. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Commission places increasing pressure on EU member states and forces national governments to liberate railway transportation and enable new operators to enter the rail industry. From an economic perspective, liberalization should lead to higher train performance and result in increased passenger flow. Most research papers examine the impact of rail reform by measuring the railway undertaking's performance and focus on efficiency of the intermediate railway outputs such as passenger/freight train kilometer. However, this paper aims to estimate railway performance from the view of demand and thus concentrates on the number of passengers and volume of goods transported, i.e., factors that indicate the ultimate success of the liberalization process. Therefore, in our analysis, we focused on technical effectiveness, which was estimated by a data envelopment analysis (DEA). In the next step, we studied what factors determine this effectiveness indicator, and we examined the significance of IBM's Liberalization Index in the adopted model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses beta and sigma convergence of commercial, savings, and cooperative banks in the Eurozone from 1999 to 2012. For this purpose, concepts of the growth and efficiency convergence literature are consulted and GMM, fixed effects models, and OLS are applied. Convergence is analyzed by calculating two efficiency metrics – data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) – and two risk metrics – equity to total assets (E/TA or EQTOAS) and Z-scores (ZSCORN). For commercial banks, efficiency convergence of both metrics is found, however, savings banks show no signs of convergence and cooperative banks only show signs of SFA convergence. Banks of all three specializations show E/TA convergence, but only savings banks convergence with respect to Z-scores. Nevertheless, the EU's Single Market Program still has a long way to go to create identical conditions for all member countries’ financial markets. The discovery that there are considerable differences between banks’ specializations, and even more, that there is convergence with respect to E/TA as a risk metric are among the main academic contributions of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sri Lankan public service apparatus has a long colonial heritage, and all of that has not been in line with the requirements of a 21st century public service expectations. However, the increasing societal pressure for the delivery of more modern public services has forced it to undergo a major overhaul of its business process. In this paper, we assess the impact of the recent efforts at business process reengineering (BPR) in public service. We estimate the overall as well as relative efficiency of public service delivery across various ministries and departments of the Sri Lankan government. A broad-based Likert scale field survey on a five-point scale was carried out and performance data were collected. We applied a non-parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) to estimate the overall and relative efficiency of the public service delivery across 29 departments and ministries (D&Ms) and the departments of the government of Sri Lanka. Our results show that, save for a few, most D&Ms have a potential for improving the performance. The performance enhancement is desirable both from an input as well as output perspectives. Moreover, our results indicate significant scale inefficiencies associated with the performance of ministries and departments that are engaged in public service delivery (PSD) in the country. The authors have also indicated towards critical success factors for a wider deployment of the study's findings in the conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depopulation is a major challenge for many rural inland areas, as is the case in a considerable number of rural municipalities in Galicia (north-western Spain). The pandemic had a considerable impact on internal migration in 2020, but it was far from being anywhere near high enough to reverse the ongoing trend of population decline, highlighting the need for further action. Thus, this paper has a twofold objective: firstly, to propose an index of rural sustainable development for the rural Galician municipalities, and secondly, to identify the factors related to it. In so doing, a composite index stemming from the Benefit of the Doubt methodology has been proposed in the first stage, an index built from four-dimension factors– economic, demographic, social, and environmental. The empirical evidence of this index has been compared with three additional ones (namely, common weights, super-efficiency, and geometric mean and logistic normalization models). In the second stage, the relationship between the composite index and a set of exogenous variables that affect rural development has been analyzed, the data confirming that the rates of female immigration and occupancy in the hospitality sector favors sustainable development, whereas the distance from the provincial capital hinders it. This paper paves the way for an assessment of the potentialities of each territory, and the evidence found allows actions to be supported that generate sustainable progress in rural Galician municipalities and that are useful for tackling this complex problem. • A new rural sustainable development index based on four dimensions is proposed. • Strengths and weaknesses for each Galician rural municipality are identified. • Environmental factors constitute a driver of rural development in Galicia. • Social aspects (i.e., health, education, services) stand out as main weaknesses. • Policies to boost social care and attract childbearing-age inhabitants are paramount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We combine environmental and safety factors in SBM model to assess transport sustainability. • We apply the model to OECD countries and study the factors behind their performance. • Joint assessment of environmental and safety factors yields different results from separate assessment. • Sustainable transport is affected by socio-economic factors, i.e., income, urbanization and governance. Environment and safety are two pillars of sustainable transport. Unlike existing studies that assess environmental impacts and safety concerns separately, in this paper we intend to capture the multifaceted nature of sustainable transport by combining environmental and safety factors. We formulate a unified performance measure using data envelopment analysis (DEA), a nonparametric method for benchmarking entities with multiple inputs and multiple outputs. In this method, environmental impacts (e.g., particulate matter and carbon dioxide emissions) and safety concerns (e.g., deaths and injuries in accidents) are treated as undesirable outputs under the slacks-based measure (SBM). We apply the model to conduct a joint assessment of environmental impacts and safety concerns of road transport for a group of OECD countries over the period 2000–2014. We show that the unified measure from joint assessment can be drastically different from that of assessing environment and safety separately. Furthermore, we investigate the relationship between the assessment results and socio-economic factors, and find that disposable income, governance quality and urbanization are significantly associated with the level of transport sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses DEA methodology to analyze the efficiency of the drinking water provision service in small municipalities. Once the efficiency indicators are obtained, these are related to a group of exogenous variables, so as to evaluate the determinants of efficiency. We use a sample of Spanish municipalities of under 5000 inhabitants in 2014, and the results show a negative and significant impact of population density and citizens' level of income on the drinking water supply efficiency. Moreover, the greater the political strength of the local government, the higher the level of efficiency in the provision of drinking water. The findings also show that there is greater efficiency when the provision of drinking water is managed directly by the local government. Finally, there is no significant impact of the touristic character of the municipality or of the government's political ideology on the efficiency of the drinking water supply. • There is a significant negative impact of population density on the efficiency of drinking water supply. • The citizens' level of income impacts negative and significantly on drinking water supply efficiency. • Efficiency is greater if the public service is managed directly by the local government. • The tourist character of the municipality does not have a significant impact on efficiency. • The political ideology of municipal government does not influence efficiency of public services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the profit growth of wind power enterprises in China is generally weak, and the phenomenon of "wind curtailment" in some areas is relatively common. The comprehensive evaluation of wind power performance in various regions of China and the study of the driving forces of wind power performance differences in different regions are of great significance for scientific planning and layout of wind power investment. Based on the panel data, this paper combines Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to establish an evaluation model to evaluate the wind power performance of China's 29 provinces and cities from 2011 to 2018. Then uses the evaluation results as input data of Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) prediction model to predict the wind power performance of 2019 in various regions of China under the current policy and environment. Finally, the main factors affecting the performance of China's wind power generation are explored by establishing a regression model. The research results show that at present, the main factors affecting the performance of China's wind power generation are local power consumption capacity, economic development degree and the rate of wind abandonment. On the premise of solving the problem of wind curtailment, appropriately promoting power consumption and renewable energy policy reform, from Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) to a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), are effective means to promote the development of wind power generation in China. Image 1067 • In wind-intensive areas, wind power performance levels are relatively low. • Power consumption capacity and wind curtailment rate are the main influencing factors. • Current policy cannot effectively solve the problem of wind curtailment. • Renewable energy policies with regional differences should be adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO 2 capture by aqueous primary and secondary alkanolamine solutions is a recognized technology in industrial CO 2 separation processes. Yet, certain obstacles caused by high-energy consumption due to the amine regeneration demands, and the formation of thermally stable salts require to be overcome for the development of these solvents. In this paper, glycerol, as a beneficial by-product of biodiesel production, has been introduced as a second promising CO 2 absorbent for aqueous diethanolamine solution in a Y-type micro-reactor with dimensions of 800 µm × 4 cm × 19 cm. The experiments of CO 2 capture into the hybrid blend of DEA-Glycerol were investigated at ambient pressure and the operating temperature of 25–45 °C, volumetric gas flow rate of 100–300 ml/min, DEA concentrations of 1.5–2.5 M, and glycerol concentrations of 5–15%wt. Experimental results demonstrated that adding 10 wt% glycerol in the aqueous blend of 2.5 M DEA-Glycerol boosts the CO 2 removal percentage, RP, up to 96.89%, and enhances the volumetric overall gas-phase mass transfer coefficient, K G a V , and volumetric mass transfer flux, N A a V , to 34.89 kmol/m3.h.kPa and 88.04 kmol/h.m3, respectively. Furthermore, based on the Box-Behnken statistical responses, under the constant concentration of 2 M of DEA, increasing the presence of glycerol from 5 to 10 wt% in the hybrid blend of DEA-Gly can intensify the CO 2 RP, K G a V , and N A a V values by 2.12% and 8.66%, and 1.80%, respectively, illustrating the glycerol contribution on the CO 2 capture process. • DEA-glycerol hybrid solvent was investigated for CO 2 capture in a Y-type micro-reactor. • Glycerol contribution on CO 2 RP and K G a V varies from 83.19% to 90.27% and from 38.19 to 48.74 kmol/m3.h.kPa, respectively. • The effect of absorption temperature on CO 2 mass transfer performance is negligible. • Adding glycerol to the hybrid solvent increases the values N A a V up to 226.3. kmol/m3.h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the efficiency frontier of 34 mobile operators from OECD countries and compares the performance of multinational companies and domestic companies between 2014 and 2018. Unlike most previous studies, the present paper relies on non-financial data for both input and output variables. It uses slack-based Data Envelopment Analysis (SBM DEA) to obtain the efficiency scores. The efficiency scores were compared for the statistically significant differences using Mann-Whitney U test. Our findings showed domestic companies to be more efficient than multinational ones regardless of their scale. The suggested explanation is that domestic enterprises are better at managing their resources and more familiar with their local market. The results also indicate that the primary source of inefficiency was inadequate utilisation of the available spectrum range. These empirical findings provide extra insight to the managers in the industry on possible steps to reduce the efficiency from the perspective of non-financial data. • Domestic mobile operators found to be more efficient than multinational ones. • The research used non-financial SBM DEA data for efficiency scores. • Spectrum range is the primary source of inefficiency for mobile operators. • Mobile operators from Scandinavia showed the highest efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In order to exploit economies of scale Belgian municipalities regularly cooperate in the provision of waste related services. In particular for the collection and separation of household packaging waste, municipalities appear to seek technical and cost efficiency gains by cooperating via municipal waste joint ventures. Although most Belgian municipal waste joint ventures can present excellent recycling and recovery rates for household packaging waste, their performance in terms of cost-efficiency has never been assessed. Using a unique dataset comprising of the costs for all 35 Belgian municipal waste joint ventures in 2010, this paper present the first assessment of the cost efficiency of household packaging waste collection in Belgium. As we are not sure on the relative importance of the separate cost efficiency scores for the three selectively collected household packaging waste fractions when determining the overall cost efficiency, this paper draws on the Benefit-of-the-Doubt approach. Our results indicate that, despite the substantial cooperation between municipalities, still considerable differences in cost efficiency for household packaging waste collection exist. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Benchmarking methods, primarily non-parametric techniques such as Data Envelopment Analysis, have become well-established and informative tools for economic regulation, in particular in energy infrastructure regulation. The axiomatic features of the non-parametric methods correspond closely to the procedural and economic criteria for good practice network regulation. However, critique has been voiced against the robustness of best-practice regulation in presence of uncertainty regarding model specification, data definition and collection. Incorrect data may result from structural sources, such as heterogeneous technologies; deterministic approaches applied to stochastic data generation processes or poorly defined scope of activity. Specifically within regulation, reporting may also be biased through individual gaming or collusive behavior, including the intentional provision of absurd data in order to stall or perturb regulatory process (here called maverick reporting). We review three families of outlier detection methods in terms of their function and application using a data set from Swedish electricity distribution, illustrating the different types of outliers, contrasting with the actual analysis ex post. This paper investigates the foundation of the critique both conceptually and by describing the actual state-of-the-art used in energy network regulation using frontier analysis models in Sweden (2000–2003) and in Germany (2007-). Finally, the paper concludes on the role of outlier detection as a mean to implement regulation with higher robustness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The growing concern about the negative effects of fossil fuels on the environment, and the limited resources of them have forced more intensive use of other energy sources. In absence of sufficient economically feasible renewable energies, nuclear power may play essential role in this field. Recently, the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power and fossil fuels regarding their efficiencies have been attracted researchers' interest. This paper discusses on the findings from “A Grammar for assessing the performance of power supply systems: comparing nuclear energy to fossil energy” (Diaz-Maurin F, Giampietro M. 2013). Although the “Grammar” is a very valuable approach, it can be accomplished by using helpful quantitative methods. In this discussion, we apply quantitative decision-making approaches to compare the same fossil fuel (coal) power plants with nuclear power plants. Economic variables are also taken into consideration. The DEA (data envelopment analysis) and SAW (simple additive weighting) are the methods applied. Results confirm the results of the reference paper in most cases and show that the fossil fuel power plants with CCS (carbon capture and storage) are slightly more efficient than nuclear power plants. However, selection of input and output variables is disputable. Assuming job creation as a desired output can change the ranking results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we report the results of an empirical study of corporate sustainability 3 [3] The sustainability scores were supplied by the SAM (Sustainable Asset Management) group. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the SAM Group. All of the corporate sustainability indicators used in the present study were developed independently from the original data provided by the SAM Group by the authors of this article. Any possible errors in the interpretation of the data remain the sole responsibility of the authors. conducted at the industry-level. The aim of the study was to determine the change in corporate sustainability performance over time. A composite index of corporate sustainability performance was created using DEA relative efficiency scores in sixteen industries, and the changes in efficiency were measured using the Malmquist index for three consecutive years. The findings indicate that sustainability performance varies across industries and reflect a trend of on-going improvement in corporate sustainability performance in most industries. Of the 16 industries, 7 industries have improved their sustainability performance consistently during the three consecutive years. The natural resources sector tends to have more consistent and stable sustainability performance than the other sectors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Alleviating energy poverty is a significant issue in many countries, for which effective energy poverty measurement is the prerequisite. This paper seeks to make a comprehensive and systematic assessment of the energy poverty performance of 30 provinces in China for 11-year period (2007–2017) by emphasizing their spatial-temporal changes. The paper firstly constructed energy poverty measurement conceptual framework based on overviewing previous studies. Secondly, a technique based on the integrated fuzzy DEMATEL (Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) and Data Envelopment Analysis - Assurance Region (DEA-AR) for performance assessment was proposed. Then, the energy poverty performance was assessed, and clustering analysis was conducted to investigate the spatial-temporal changes of energy poverty in China. Finally, sensitivity analysis was applied for verifying the robustness of the proposed method. It is found that the energy poverty condition in China tends to be similar among most regions, but the gap between the best and worst performers gets wider. In addition, provinces with better economic conditions, have higher performance and are classified into the progressive group for alleviating energy poverty. On the contrary, provinces, whose economy lags, have regressed the most and are also the worst performers in reducing energy poverty. Thus, policies to improve household energy cleanability in high-income provinces and increase energy affordability in low-income regions would help reduce energy poverty in China. • A comprehensive energy poverty assessment framework was proposed. • An integrated Fuzzy DEMATEL/DEA-AR was proposed to evaluate the performance. • The comparison between the proposed Fuzzy DEMATEL/DEA-AR model and conventional DEA was conducted. • Spatial and temporal analysis of energy poverty performance in China was conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper investigates the relationship between the proportional sharing method and DEA technology in solving the problem of allocating the fixed cost of a jointly used common platform among its users. It first examines the basic concept of equity of the proportional sharing method in the one dimensional case which motivates the analysis and extends proportional sharing to the general multiple-input multiple-output case. Then, it has proven that the necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of the proportional sharing is that all users can be DEA efficient with a common set of weights. Furthermore, this paper investigates the relationship between the extended proportional sharing method and some other DEA-based allocation approaches. Based upon these theoretical foundations, this paper proposes an alternative cost allocation approach, and applies it to a data set from prior DEA literature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Machinery industry is an important economic key in Romania. In the period 2001-2010 the industry was faced with significant inputs of foreign direct investments that have led to stimulating the development of the economy. This paper examines the efficiency an d productivity of enterprises (more than 250 employees) in machinery industry which are part of a emerging markets. In the machinery industry there are companies that deal with the cars manufacture, machinery and equipment and the manufacture of motor vehicles and their components. Techniques selected for evaluation of progress efficiency and changing productivity studied are Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist productivity index (MPI). This methodology allows a direct comparison between firms within t he same industry and shows how intense inputs are used in a production system from which we want to realize a high level of output. The used program to calculate indicators of productivity and efficiency frontier was DEAP 2.1. (Data Envelopment Analysis Computer) developed by the Centre for Efficiency and Productivity Analysis of the University of New England. Analysis of positive or negative trends in the efficiency and productivity of enterprises in the studied period reveals information about the sources of existing inefficient. This paper is mainly aimed at measuring the technical efficiency and productivity change in the machinery industry in Romania between 2001-2010 and as secondary objective to determine the inefficient sources in industry. The results of the study show that the tendency of growth of total factor productivity (TFP) is due in particular to the efficiency progress and not to the technological change, what demonstrates that human resource quality has had a positive impact on the industry. Productivity is viewed as a competitive advantage, so companies that have increased productivity, even in a time of crisis, are based on modern management and performance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper investigates the effect of the implementation of smart city policy (SCP) on energy efficiency (EE) in China. For this purpose, we have developed a non-convex metafrontier data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach to measure EE, and empirically examine the impacts of SCP on China's EE using Difference-in-Differences (DID) analysis, using a dataset of 251 cities between 2003 and 2016. Results show that there exists significant regional heterogeneity across cities, with the SCP exerting a significant positive effect on EE, indicating that the SCP can effectively improve EE during the study period. These findings are robust to different sub-sample, energy efficiency alternative measures, estimation strategies, and Baidu Search Index. Based on empirical results, the implications of SCP are outlined. • Energy efficiency measures of 251 Chinese prefectural-level cities are estimated. • Eastern region performs the best, followed by the central and western regions. • The effects of smart city policy on energy efficiency is investigated using DID method. • The smart city policy can effectively improve energy efficiency during the study period. • Empirical results are robust to different sub-sample, energy efficiency alternative measures, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We develop and test a DEA model embedding eWOM among the outputs. • Including eWOM leads to differences in the mean and ranking of hotel efficiency. • Hotels improving in the efficiency ranking are less than those decreasing. • eWOM as an output of DEA models generates differentiated impacts across hotel classes. • e-WOM could inform Strategic Performance Measurement Systems. This paper develops and tests an innovative DEA model in the hospitality sector, by originally embedding online customer ratings among the outputs of the model. Based on a sample of 268 independent hotels located in Rome (Italy), we test a eWOM-informed DEA model and find that the introduction of online ratings among the outputs of the model significantly affects the assessment of hotels' efficiency regardless of hotel category. The efficiency rankings generated by the DEA models embedding eWOM are radically different compared to those resulting from DEA models exclusively based on financial variables. The number of hotels improving their position in the efficiency rankings is lower than the number of hotels decreasing in the ranking. However, the average efficiency variation is positive and higher for 2- and 3- stars hotels than for 4- and 5- stars hotels. Implications for researchers in hospitality and tourism, managers and practitioners are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A method is suggested for assessing the performance of firms in the presence of flexible and integer-valued data. • Inputs and outputs are classified by using the proposed approach. • The efficiency scores of firms with flexible and integer-valued factors are measured. • Targets of integer-valued and flexible measures are determined. • Two case studies, including banks and hospitals are utilized to illustrate the new method. Abstract In conventional data envelopment analysis (DEA) models, data are usually considered as continuous measures while the role of measures from input and/or output aspects is known. However, there are situations in the real world that a measure can play either input or output roles, a flexible measure, while it can only take integer values (e.g., nurse trainees and medical interns in assessing the performance of hospitals). In the current paper, integer DEA models with flexible measures from two individual DMUs and aggregate efficiency perspectives are proposed to determine the relative efficiency of units and the role of flexible measures. Indeed, slacks are addressed and a slacks-based measure (SBM) of efficiency is defined for calculating the performance of decision making units (DMUs) in the presence of flexible and integer factors. The majority decision rule is also used to specify the role of flexible measures from the individual DMU point of view. Two examples including banks and hospitals are utilized to clarify and demonstrate the suggested approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Promoting wind power is a long-term strategy of China to respond to both energy shortage and environmental pollution. Stimulated by various incentive policies, wind power generation in China has achieved tremendous growth. However, the China's wind power industry is still in its early development stage and various problems have emerged, seriously challenging the healthy functioning of the industry. Based on micro-data on wind power listed companies, the four-stage Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model is used to measure the technical efficiency of China's wind power enterprises and sketch the development of the wind power industry at the micro level. The results show that there exist non-efficiency problems arising from the diseconomies of scale in China's wind power industry during 2011–2015. The average value of the efficiency of wind power enterprises is 32.5%. According to the subsample analysis, large-scale enterprises, private-owned enterprises and enterprises taking wind farm conduction and operation as their main business, as well as enterprises located in the three northern area, have the highest efficiency in their respective categories. Drawn on this analysis, conclusions and policy implications are provided at the end of the paper. Highlights • Reviewed literature on the efficiency of China's wind power industry systematically. • Used the four-stage DEA method to analyze micro-data on wind power listed companies with the goal of delineating the efficiency of the development of China's wind power industry. • Analyzed wind power enterprises from the following four aspects: the scale of enterprises, their regions, nature, and the upstream and downstream of their industrial chain. • Made policy recommendations for the development of China's wind power industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract "Kyoto Protocol" states that carbon market is one of three private emission-reduction instruments. Since 2013 China implemented carbon emission trading scheme (ETS) in seven provinces or cities. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the implementation of ETS can result in the Porter effect. Based on the Porter hypothesis theory, this study employs the difference-in-difference (DID) method and the improved DEA model to analyze whether ETS can bring economic dividend and environmental dividend. The empirical results specify that in the short term, ETS can significantly reduce carbon emissions in the pilot provinces, but fail to increase GDP. Therefore, ETS does not realize the Porter effect in the short term. Nevertheless, in terms of the empirical results we can find ETS plays a significant role in emission reduction. In the long term, ETS can stimulate sustainable economic dividend and environmental dividend, and achieve the Porter effect. From the test results, we can find ETS has good economic and emission reduction functions. ETS achieves the Porter effect in the long term but not in the short term. In order to achieve the Porter effect from ETS successfully, a sound carbon emission trading scheme must be established to ensure efficient carbon emission trading market. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • The difference-in-difference (DID) method and the improved DEA model are employed. • ETS does not realize the Porter effect in the short term. • In the long term ETS can achieve the Porter effect. • ETS has good economic and emission reduction functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A novel three-stage time estimation method based on data mining is proposed. • A strategy with the expert's opinion considered is designed when using K-Means clustering algorithm. • An adapted DEA model is presented to evaluate the efficiency of the time arrangement. • Estimation models are trained using the genetic algorithm-backpropagation neural network. Abstract Rational and precise time estimation in a manufacturing plan is critical to the success of a shipbuilding project. However, due to the large number of various ship blocks, existing means are somehow inadequate to make the expected estimation. This paper proposes a novel three-stage method to discover and reuse the knowledge about how the duration and the slack time is essential while manufacturing a specific ship block. An efficient arrangement of the duration and the slack time means that the activity is more likely to be finished within the allocated duration, or if not, the extra consumed time does not exceed the given slack time which is at its lowest level. With such knowledge, planners can rapidly estimate the time allocation of all the manufacturing activities in the planning stage, which raises the possibility of successful execution within the limited budget. Different from previous studies, this research utilizes the execution data to find efficiency frontiers of the planned time arrangement (the duration and the slack time). For the sake of the evaluation validity, ship blocks are primarily clustered according to their features using the K-Means algorithm. In the second stage, an adapted data envelopment analysis (DEA) model is presented to evaluate the planned time arrangement. By processing the results, efficient time arrangements for manufacturing all the blocks can be obtained, hence, forming a data basis to boost the time estimation accuracy. In the last stage, genetic algorithm-backpropagation neural network (GA-BPNN) models are trained to capture the knowledge for further reuse by planners. Verified through experiments, this research almost outperforms several peer methods in terms of precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Improving the eco-efficiency of the circular economy system in mining areas has been recognized as the most effective way to reduce the greenhouse effect and achieve sustainable development. Based on the emergy theory and on data envelopment analysis (DEA), this paper adopts the SBM-Undesirable model to evaluate the eco-efficiency of the circular economy system in China's largest coal mining area, Shanxi Province, during the period 2006–2015. Emergy flow indices are treated as input and output indices. Eco-efficiency is factorized into economic efficiency and environmental efficiency. The potential for improvement of the circular economy system is analyzed based on input redundancy and output deficiency. The results for the period 2006–2015 indicate the following: (1) both the input and the output of the circular system increase during this period; (2) the increased input relies on mostly imported emergy, and the increase in waste emergy is lower than the exported emergy; (3) eco-efficiency is invalid except for 2011 and 2012 and exhibits a decreasing trend beginning in 2013; (4) environmental efficiency is invalid over the entire period, and the eco-efficiency level is positively related to the economic efficiency score; and (5) the circular economy system has a larger energy saving space, and the key to achieving sustainability of the circular economy system is output growth. Highlights • We assess the circular economy system eco-efficiency of coal mining in China using emergy and DEA. • We decompose eco-efficiency as economic efficiency and environmental efficiency. • The circular economy system is an energy-intensive system with high input and output. • The eco-efficiency level is positively related to economic efficiency. • The circular economy system has huge potential to save energy and reduce emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Public transportation in a metropolitan area often is supplied by multiple types of transit. This paper develops and illustrates a DEA-based procedure for estimating: overall efficiency of an area’s public transportation; technical efficiencies of the individual transit types; effect of each type on overall efficiency; and efficiency of the allocation of resources among types and an algorithm for improving it. The paper concludes that the overall efficiency of an urban area’s public transportation can be validly estimated only if the technical efficiency of each major transport type and the efficiency in allocating resources among them are taken into consideration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents optimal operating conditions for the post-combustion CO2 capture process utilizing aqueous amine solutions obtained using a process simulator (HYSYS). Three alkanolamine solutions (Methyldiethanolamine MDEA, DiEthanolAmine DEA and MDEA-DEA mixture) are considered to study the performance of the capture process. The design problem addressed in this paper requires specifying the optimal operating conditions (inlet and outlet temperature of the lean solution stream on the absorber, CO2 loading, amine composition and flow rates, among others) to achieve the given CO2 emission targets at a minimum total annual cost. A detailed objective function including total operating costs and investment is considered. The influence of the variation of CO2 reduction targets and the mixing proportion of amines on the total annual cost is analyzed in detail. Numerical results are presented and discussed using different case studies. The results demonstrate that process simulators can be used as a powerful tool not only to simulate but also to optimize the most important design parameters of the post-combustion CO2 capture process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper analyses the level of efficiency at which road toll companies are operated in Norway. Two alternative methods are applied for this purpose: data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). The data comprise a total of 20 toll companies that have been in operation in the period 2003–2008. The findings of the paper are as follows: 1) There is a great potential for efficiency improvement in the sector, irrespective of the method used, but the variation in the efficiency scores is dependent on the method used; 2) there is no evidence of economies of scale, as has been found by other authors, such as Odeck 2008, How efficient and productive are road toll companies? Evidence from Norway, Transport Policy. 15, 232–241 and, Amdal, E., Bårdsen, G., Johansen K. and Welde M., 2007. Operating costs in Norwegian toll companies: a panel data analysis. Transportation. 34, 681–695. These results suggest that toll companies could generate significant savings by employing industry best practices. Further, decision makers are warned not to be indifferent to the approach used i.e., DEA and SFA, as these may give very different results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights • Impact of airport concessions on the public airport company in Brazil. • Airport enterprise's overall performance index. • Pathways to improvement in the scenario of concessions. Abstract This paper examines the performance of airports under Brazil's state enterprise for airport infrastructure, Infraero, which managed the country's main airports until major airport concessions began to be granted in 2012. The dataset comprised the 60 main airports that were under Infraero administration in 2009 and 2015, three years before and three years after concessions began to come into effect. In that period, concessions were granted on 5 major airports previously administered by Infraero, which are among the main hubs in Brazil, and one smaller, new airport. DEA modelling was used to analyse performance in the study years. In 2009, the airports considered accounted for 56% of the market; in 2015, the percentage fell to 52%. The findings show that not only did this set of airports lose market share, their performance declined significantly. In the study period, the enterprise's overall performance index fell from 71.48% to 62.73%, as it failed to encounter pathways to improvement in the scenario of concessions of airports to private administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Technology advances are considered to be effective in reducing carbon emissions. However, studies show that the effect of such advances on reducing carbon emissions is not as effective as expected, owing to the existence of the rebound effect (RE). This paper proposes a new method integrating the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) production model and the sequential Malmquist-Luenberger (SML) index to calculate China's macro-carbon RE. An extended DEA production model is used to eliminate the impact of input scale, and the SML index is employed to avoid the phenomenon of technology regress. Results show that the carbon RE can be calculated more precisely. The new method is then applied to calculate carbon RE values from 30 Chinese provinces from 1996 to 2015, and results indicate that the carbon RE does indeed exist in China and that national average carbon RE values vary from 7.4% to 43.8%. Furthermore, both the backfire effect and the super conservation effect are evident in some provinces. Based upon the obtained results, certain policy implications are suggested to facilitate China in effectively implementing carbon emission reduction actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]