Research

Our research focuses on both methodological aspects of productive efficiency measurement and applications of the tools of productivity and efficiency analysis to several sectors of interest including agriculture, banking, energy, transportation, education, postal service, sport, and the health system. The perspective of these studies is mainly, though not exclusively, regional and national.

 

The research studies we have carried out to date have highlighted a large potential for efficiency gains in both the private and public sectors. This implies in turn that there is ample scope for improvements in competitiveness and for cost savings, so that the identification of such potential efficiency gains is even more relevant in light of the current economic situation. Efficiency and productivity analyses provide useful information for managers and administrators in both the private and public sectors, and the tools from this literature are increasingly used by policymakers to identify areas where economic efficiency can be improved and to evaluate the effects on efficiency of different public policies.

In what follows, we provide a brief overview of our main research fields to date:

  • Production economics and efficiency modeling
  • Agricultural economics
  • Natural resource economics
  • Energy economics
  • Health economics
  • Transport economics
  • Economics of education