Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The efficiency of public schools
T2 - the case of Kuwait
AU - Burney, Nadeem A.
AU - Johnes, Jill
AU - Al-Enezi, Mohammed
AU - Al-Musallam, Marwa
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - This paper investigates the technical, allocative and economic efficiency of public schools in Kuwait over four levels of schooling (kindergartens, primary, intermediate and secondary) and two periods (1999/00 and 2004/05) using data envelopment analysis (DEA). Mean pure technical efficiency varies between 0.695 and 0.852 across all levels of education; the majority of schools at kindergarten, primary and intermediate levels are operating at a point where returns to scale are increasing; and there are considerable cost efficiencies to be gained. In a second stage analysis of the determinants of efficiency, teacher salary and the proportion of teaching staff who are Kuwaiti are highly significant in explaining school efficiency at all levels. The former has a positive effect and the latter a negative effect. All-girls schools have significantly higher efficiency than all-boys schools. There is limited evidence that geographical location affects efficiency, and this may be a consequence of differences between regions in terms of affluence or density of population.
AB - This paper investigates the technical, allocative and economic efficiency of public schools in Kuwait over four levels of schooling (kindergartens, primary, intermediate and secondary) and two periods (1999/00 and 2004/05) using data envelopment analysis (DEA). Mean pure technical efficiency varies between 0.695 and 0.852 across all levels of education; the majority of schools at kindergarten, primary and intermediate levels are operating at a point where returns to scale are increasing; and there are considerable cost efficiencies to be gained. In a second stage analysis of the determinants of efficiency, teacher salary and the proportion of teaching staff who are Kuwaiti are highly significant in explaining school efficiency at all levels. The former has a positive effect and the latter a negative effect. All-girls schools have significantly higher efficiency than all-boys schools. There is limited evidence that geographical location affects efficiency, and this may be a consequence of differences between regions in terms of affluence or density of population.
KW - Middle East
KW - Kuwait
KW - data envelopment analysis
KW - efficiency
KW - schools
U2 - 10.1080/09645292.2011.595580
DO - 10.1080/09645292.2011.595580
M3 - Journal article
VL - 21
SP - 360
EP - 379
JO - Education Economics
JF - Education Economics
SN - 0964-5292
IS - 4
ER -