PROFILE 

The Economic Efficiency & Productivity Analysis research cluster was set up in 2016. The group publishes and disseminates applied research in the measurement, analysis, and drivers of economic efficiency, and productivity in a number of areas of economics – such as the health and long-term care sectors, but also the cultural, education and manufacturing sectors. The cluster has grown to contain three KBS faculty with another 6 external collaborators based in industry and in international universities. In addition, this group includes one postdoctoral researcher, one PhD researcher (scholar) and one external postgraduate researcher. Our research cluster has already forged strong international links and is well-positioned to collaborate in generating high quality publications in top ranked international journals such as Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Health Care Management Science and Small Business Economics. The group has published and finalised further papers in the specified area and our research was presented at numerous international conferences throughout 2022.

MEMBERS OF THE GROUP

Postdoctoral and Doctoral Researchers

PUBLICATIONS

Recent publications in peer-reviewed journals

  • Devitt, N., Zieba, M., Dineen, D. (2022). Technical efficiency in Irish public hospitals: a multi-output distance function SFA approach, International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics, forthcoming. DOI
  • Castiglione, C., Infante, D., Zieba M.  (2022). Public support for performing arts. Efficiency and productivity gains in eleven European countries, Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Available online first. DOI
  • Ni Luasa, S; Dineen, D; Zieba, M. (2018). Technical and scale efficiency in public and private Irish nursing homes - a bootstrap DEA approach. Health Care Management Science, 21: 326-347. DOI
  • Castiglione, C., Infante, D., Zieba, M. (2018). Technical efficiency in the Italian performing arts companies'. Small Business Economics, 51 (3): 609-638. DOI
  • Ipinnaiye, O., Dineen, D., Lenihan, H. (2017). Drivers of SME performance: a holistic and multivariate Approach, Small Business Economics, 48: 883–911. DOI
  • Zieba, M., Newman, C. (2013). Organisational Structure and Managerial Efficiency: A quasi-experimental analysis of German public theatres, Homo Oeconomicus, Volume 29 (4): 497-534. DOI
  • Zieba, M. (2011). An Analysis of Technical Efficiency and Efficiency Factors for Austrian and Swiss Non-Profit Theatres, Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Volume 147 (2): 233-274. DOI

Chapters in books

  • Zieba, M. (2019). Global trade in cultural tourism services, in Cameron, S. (Ed.): A Research Agenda for Cultural Economics, Edward Elgar Publishing. link
  • Zieba, M. (2016). German public theatres – A summary of an empirical data analysis carried out for the period 1965-2005., in. A. Galas (Ed.): Structure of theatre versus structure of performance. Polish Theatre Institute, Warsaw 2016, ISBN: 978-83-63276-70-6.
  • Buckley, R. (2010). MNE subsidiaries, productivity spillovers and SMEs. In Lenihan H., Andreosso-O’Callaghan, B., Hart M. (Eds.), SMEs in a globalised world. Survival and Growth Strategies on Europe's Geographical Periphery, 135-161, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

Other publications

  • Zieba, M., Thi-Kieu-Trang, D., Mbugua, R. (2022). Factors Affecting Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence from Developing Countries. OSF Preprints. February 13. DOI
  • Dineen, D., Ni Luasa, S., Zieba, M. (2018). Determinants of Efficiency in the Irish Nursing Homes – A Double Bootstrap DEA, National Institute of Health Sciences, NIHS Research Bulletin, Vol. 8, Issue 1. 
  • Castiglione, C., Infante, D., Zieba M. (2018). Technical efficiency in the Italian performing arts companies, Kemmy Business School Research Bulletin, Issue 51. DOI
  • Ni Luasa, S., Dineen, D., and Zieba, M. (2016). An Evaluation of Technical Efficiency in the Nursing Home Sector in Ireland, National Institute of Health Sciences, NIHS Research Bulletin, Vol. 7, Issue 3, p.95-96, 2016.
  • Zieba, M. (2013). Evaluación de la eficiencia de las artes escénicas en Alemania, Austria y Suiza mediente métodos paramétricos, in Herrero, L. (Eds.): Simposio Internacional "Evaluación de la Eficiencia de Instituciones Culturales”, p. 81-114, ISBN: 978-84-938328-3-4., DOI
  • Zieba, M. (2013). Is theatre efficiency affected by the legal form type? A case study of German public theatres, Tafter Journal, Number 65 (November).DOI
  • Zieba, M., Newman, C. (2007). Understanding the Production in the Performing Arts: A Production Function for German Public Theatres, TEP Working Paper, No. 07/07, June 2007. DOI

Sponsored Research

  • Zieba, M., Ipinnaiye, O. (2019) “The ESG scores as determinants of firm technical efficiency: a cross-sectoral panel data analysis.” SEED Funding
  • Zieba, M. (2016) “The determinants of Technical Efficiency in the Performing Arts Sector. A panel approach on the Italian companies over the period 2005-2012.” SEED Funding

Internal Cluster Events: 

  • 2022   Devitt, N., Zieba, M., Dineen, D. Cost and Allocative Efficiency of Irish Acute Public Hospitals, KBS Spring Seminar, 26th April 2022. Link
  • 2021    Devitt, N., Zieba, M., Dineen, D. “Technical efficiency in Irish public hospitals: a multi-output distance function SFA approach”, Spring Seminar Series, KBS, UL.
  • 2019    Devitt, N., Zieba, M., Dineen, D. “Estimation of technical efficiency of Irish public hospitals using monthly panel data”, Spring Seminar Series, KBS, UL.
  • 2018    Zieba, M., Dineen, D., Ni Luasa, S. “A Comparison of Semi-Parametric Methods in Determining Nursing Home Technical Efficiency”, Spring Seminar Series, KBS, UL.
  • 2017    Dineen, D., Ni Luasa, S., Zieba, M. “Determinants of Efficiency in the Irish Nursing Homes – A Double Bootstrap DEA”, Spring Seminar Series, KBS, UL.

International seminar presentation

  • 2017    Zieba, M., Dineen, D., Ni Luasa, S. “Measuring efficiency and efficiency determinants in the Irish nursing home sector – A comparison of non-parametric and parametric methods”, Economics Seminar, University of Calabria (Italy). 

​Conference papers (since 2019):

  • Dineen, D., Zieba, M., Ni Luasa, S. (2022). Determinants of technical efficiency in long-term care provision - a holistic and multivariate double bootstrap DEA approach, XVII European Workshop on Efficiency and Productivity Analysis (EWEPA), Catolica Porto Business School, June 27-29.
  • Devitt, N., Zieba, M., Dineen, D. (2022). Cost efficiency functions and determinants of costs in Irish public hospitals - A panel data approach, XVII European Workshop on Efficiency and Productivity Analysis (EWEPA), Catolica Porto Business School, June 27-29.
  • Castiglione, C., Infante, D., Zieba, M. (2022). Subsidies, efficiency and productivity of Italian theatrical firms. A Semi-parametric DB DEA approach, XVII European Workshop on Efficiency and Productivity Analysis (EWEPA), Catolica Porto Business School, June 27-29.
  • Castiglione, C., Infante, D., Zieba, M. (2022). Subsidies and efficiency of Italian theatrical firms. A bootstrap and conditional DEA approach. 10th European Workshop on Applied Cultural Economics (EWACE), University of Turin, September 8-10.
  • 2019  Devitt, N., Zieba, M., Dineen, D. “Estimation of output-oriented technical efficiency of Irish public hospitals using monthly panel data”, 7th International Workshop on Efficiency in Education, Health and other Public Services, 5-6 September, Univeristat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona.
  • 2019  Castiglione, C., Infante, D., Zieba, M. “An analysis of efficiency and productivity change of performing arts firms in 11 European countries”, 9th European Workshop on Applied Cultural Economics, 5-7 September, Copenhagen Business School. 
  • 2019 Zieba, M., Dineen, D., Ni Luasa, S. “Labour management factors and efficiency in nursing homes: a semi-parametric approach”, 16th EWEPA conference, 10-13 June, Loughborough University London.
  • 2019  Devitt, N., Zieba, M., Dineen, D. “Estimation of output-oriented technical efficiency of Irish public hospitals using monthly panel data”, 16th EWEPA conference, 10-13 June, Loughborough University London.

Completed PhDs:

  • Ni Luasa, S. 2020. An evaluation of technical efficiency in Irish nursing homes. External examiner: Prof. Tommaso Agasisti, Politecnico di Milano, School of Management.

RELATED PROJECTS

International or other external links

  • Prof. Elzbieta Szymanska, SGGW, Warsaw University of Life Science
  • Prof. William Addessi, Department of Economics and Business, University of Cagliari, Italy.
  • Dr. Concetta Castiglione, Department of Economics and Statistics and Finance, University of Calabria, Italy.
  • Prof. Davide Infante, Department of Economics and Statistics and Finance, University of Calabria, Italy.
  • Prof. Ana Rodriguez-Alvarez, Departamento de Economia. Oviedo University, Spain.
  • Prof. Luis César Herrero-Prieto, University of Valladolid, Spain. 
  • Lael Buckham, Teagasc, Agriculture and Food Development Policy.