Serial network DEA models with a single intermediate measure

Abstract

In conventional two-stage network data envelopment analysis (DEA) models involving one single intermediate output, the divisional efficiencies of non-cooperative models and centralized models are equivalent to the standard constant return to scale (CRS) efficiencies of each stage. The current study demonstrates that the above result also holds true for general network structures, including those of more than two stages, with only one intermediate measure linking network components.

Keywords:

• Multi-stage
• Network DEA
• divisional efficiency
• constant returns to scale

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions in an earlier version of the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by National Natural Science Funds of China (No.71771126, 71871105, 71801133, 71701059), Jiangsu Social Science Fund(17GLB013), Project of Jiangsu Qing Lan and Project of Jiangsu Social Science Excellent Young Scholars. This research is also supported by The Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (KYCX19_0997) and The Excellent Innovation Teams of Philosophy and Social Science in Jiangsu Province (2017ZSTD022), as well as The Major Research Plan of National Social Science Foundation(18ZDA052).