EXPLAINING DIFFERENCES IN EFFICIENCY: A META‐STUDY ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT LITERATURE
通过元回归分析54篇论文中的360个观测值，发现研究设计（如技术效率vs成本效率、面板数据vs截面数据、FDH vs DEA）显著影响地方政府效率得分，且效率与国家发展水平和法律体系完整性正相关，与腐败负相关。
Abstract This paper reviews the literature on local government efficiency by meta‐reviewing 360 observations retrieved from 54 papers published from 1993 to 2016. The meta‐regression is based on a random‐effects model estimated with the two‐step random‐effects maximum likelihood (REML) technique proposed by Gallet and Doucouliagos. Results indicate that the study design matters when estimating a frontier in local government. We find that studies focusing on technical efficiency provide higher efficiency scores than works evaluating cost efficiency. The same applies when using panel data instead of cross‐section data. Interestingly, studies that use the Free Disposal Hull (FDH) approach yield, on average, higher efficiency scores than papers employing the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method, thereby suggesting that in this literature the convexity hypothesis of the production set is a matter. Finally, the efficiency of local government increases with the level of development of the analysed countries and is positively related to the national integrity of the legal system. The opposite holds when considering the corruption.