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Efficiency analyses for the railway sector: An overview of key issues

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  • Holvad, Torben
Abstract
Over the past 3-4 decades numerous efficiency analyses have been undertaken in different economic sectors including transport. These studies provide an insight into variations of efficiency levels for different entities (e.g. country or company comparisons). As such they can be used to identify strategies for improvement at company level as well as broader policy measures. This paper will focus on the so-called frontier-based methods covering both parametric (e.g. Stochastic Frontier Analysis) and non-parametric (e.g. Data Envelopment Analysis) methods. It will set out main challenges in applying these methods in the railway sector as well as highlighting key findings according to the studies undertaken to date. Moreover, the paper will discuss issues from methodological and empirical perspectives which would need to be addressed in future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Holvad, Torben, 2020. "Efficiency analyses for the railway sector: An overview of key issues," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:retrec:v:82:y:2020:i:c:s0739885920300755
    DOI: 10.1016/j.retrec.2020.100877
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Efficiency; Efficiency analysis; Productivity; Frontier based methods; Data envelopment analysis; Stochastic frontier analysis; Railways;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • L92 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Railroads and Other Surface Transportation
    • R40 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - General

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