TY - JOUR
T1 - Productivity analysis of Australian universities
AU - Moradi-Motlagh, Amir
AU - Jubb, Christine
AU - Houghton, Keith
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Purpose: Facing budgetary challenges, successive Australian Governments have chosen to proportionally reduce public expenditure on universities relative to levels of activity in both teaching and research. The question asked in this paper is whether Australia’s universities increased their efficiency in a manner consistent with the demands of government to provide productivity “dividends” or efficiencies? Design/methodology/approach: Using archival data for 37 Australian universities from 2007 to 2013, this paper examines changes in productivity of university groups and individual institutions using the data envelopment analysis technique. Findings: Results show a statistically significant system-wide (or technological) productivity improvement of 15.2 per cent from 2007 to 2013, but there was little average individual institutional change in efficiency. Productivity improvements were clearly observable for the Group of 8 institutions with an improvement of 25.1 per cent. Research limitations/implications: Universities, like other public sector bodies, can both improve individually and as an overall system. The system has improved greatly in terms of productivity at higher levels than may be anticipated. Originality/value: Using data contemporaneous with a period of great change in university funding and sector competition, this study reveals how some universities benefited, whereas others struggled to maintain their relative position.
AB - Purpose: Facing budgetary challenges, successive Australian Governments have chosen to proportionally reduce public expenditure on universities relative to levels of activity in both teaching and research. The question asked in this paper is whether Australia’s universities increased their efficiency in a manner consistent with the demands of government to provide productivity “dividends” or efficiencies? Design/methodology/approach: Using archival data for 37 Australian universities from 2007 to 2013, this paper examines changes in productivity of university groups and individual institutions using the data envelopment analysis technique. Findings: Results show a statistically significant system-wide (or technological) productivity improvement of 15.2 per cent from 2007 to 2013, but there was little average individual institutional change in efficiency. Productivity improvements were clearly observable for the Group of 8 institutions with an improvement of 25.1 per cent. Research limitations/implications: Universities, like other public sector bodies, can both improve individually and as an overall system. The system has improved greatly in terms of productivity at higher levels than may be anticipated. Originality/value: Using data contemporaneous with a period of great change in university funding and sector competition, this study reveals how some universities benefited, whereas others struggled to maintain their relative position.
KW - Efficiency
KW - Productivity
KW - Universities
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85045637343&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/PAR-02-2016-0027
DO - 10.1108/PAR-02-2016-0027
M3 - Article
SN - 0114-0582
VL - 28
SP - 386
EP - 400
JO - Pacific Accounting Review
JF - Pacific Accounting Review
IS - 4
ER -