Naslov
Efficiency of municipal service providers in the Republic of Croatia

Autori
Šegota, Alemka ; Cerović, Ljerka ; Maradin, Dario

Izvornik
Croatian operational research review (1848-0225) 8 (2017), 2; 537-562

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
public municipal service providers, relative efficiency, DEA method

Sažetak
Municipal services, such as the collection, removal and disposal of waste, are among the necessary activities carried out by public authorities. The efficient management and utilization of public resources improves the welfare of the community in general, but especially the welfare of service users. Therefore, the optimal provision of public services is essential. This paper gives a comprehensive overview of municipal services, related primarily to the waste collection and disposal, and eventually other related municipal services. The purpose of the paper is to determine the relative cost efficiency of 20 public utility companies that collect household waste in different Croatian cities and surrounding municipalities. The method employed in the study is Data Envelopment Analysis – DEA, and the model used is non-controllable input-oriented with variable returns to scale. In addition to the results of relative efficiency of every utility company, by means of projections on efficiency frontier, the sources and amounts of relative inefficiency are determined, representing potential improvements for all inefficient companies. The results indicate that all inefficient utility companies could improve their efficiency by reducing the corresponding inputs. This means that the management of inefficient companies should take into account the obtained results in future decision making to increase company's efficiency, which is one of the bases of optimal business.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Ekonomija

POVEZANOST RADA