Title: Measuring performance in education: a cross-country analysis

Authors: Marcelo Machado De Freitas; Leonardo Flach; Luísa Karam De Mattos; David Daniel Hammes Junior

Addresses: Accounting Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, UFSC, Brazil ' Accounting Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, UFSC, Brazil ' Management Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, UFSC, Brazil ' Accounting Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, UFSC, Brazil

Abstract: This research aims to identify and analyse the variables that affect the efficiency of public spending in secondary education, in a cross-country perspective. Applying the methods of data envelopment analysis, Malmquist index, and panel data regression, we analysed data from 65 countries that undertook the PISA examination. The results demonstrate that Brazil was the most inefficient in applying its resources over the period and achieved only 84.3% of its potential outputs. Finally, the significant variables in explaining the efficiency were the natural logarithm of the GDP per capita, the curriculum autonomy of schools, financial autonomy, and the level of corruption and the socioeconomic backgrounds of students.

Keywords: performance measurement; efficiency; education; panel data analysis; Malmquist index; cross-country analysis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEX.2020.107592

International Journal of Business Excellence, 2020 Vol.21 No.2, pp.170 - 190

Received: 24 Jul 2018
Accepted: 20 Dec 2018
Published online: 01 Jun 2020 *

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