productivity - Indices of Productivity Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)
Levels and changes of productivity and profitability are
measured with various indices. The package contains the
multiplicatively complete Färe-Primont, Fisher,
Hicks-Moorsteen, Laspeyres, Lowe, and Paasche indices, as well
as the classic Malmquist productivity index. Färe-Primont and
Lowe indices verify the transitivity property and can therefore
be used for multilateral or multitemporal comparison. Fisher,
Hicks-Moorsteen, Laspeyres, Malmquist, and Paasche indices are
not transitive and are only to be used for binary comparison.
All indices can also be decomposed into different components,
providing insightful information on the sources of productivity
and profitability changes. In the use of Malmquist productivity
index, the technological change index can be further decomposed
into bias technological change components. The package also
allows to prohibit technological regression (negative
technological change). In the case of the Fisher,
Hicks-Moorsteen, Laspeyres, Paasche and the transitive
Färe-Primont and Lowe indices, it is furthermore possible to
rule out technological change. Deflated shadow prices can also
be obtained. Besides, the package allows parallel computing as
an option, depending on the user's computer configuration. All
computations are carried out with the nonparametric Data
Envelopment Analysis (DEA), and several assumptions regarding
returns to scale are available. All DEA linear programs are
implemented using 'lp_solve'.
