Estimating product‐specific and multiproduct economies of scale with data envelopment analysis
提出并测试了一种用数据包络分析估算多产品和特定产品规模经济的方法，通过模拟数据验证其准确性，对研究企业效率的经济学者有用。
Abstract Nonparametric cost frontier estimation and subsequent analysis of the relative efficiency of firms has historically been conducted without critically examining the shape of the cost frontier. The shape of the cost frontier has been examined using additional parametric estimation methods to recover potential cost savings from multiproduct and product‐specific economies of scale. This paper presents and tests an approach to estimate multiproduct and product‐specific economies of scale using data envelopment analysis. Data for the study are simulated assuming an underlying production technology. Nonparametric estimates of efficiency, multiproduct scale, product specific scale, and scope economies are compared to those of the assumed production technology. Results show that the nonparametric approach accurately estimates multiproduct economies of scale and product‐specific economies of scale under alternative inefficiency distributional assumptions.