Alessandro Manello

Judicial productivity, delay and efficiency: A Directional Distance Function (DDF) approach

The aim of this paper is twofold. On the one hand, it provides a contribution to the debate on judicial efficiency by conducting an applied research on the Italian tax judiciary thanks to a database covering the activities of the Italian tax courts over a 3-year period (2009–2011). On the other hand, it also contributes to the methodological debate, as it compares results obtained with Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Directional Distance Function (DDF), two related non-parametric techniques which allow evaluating the efficiency of each observation as the radial distance from the efficient frontier defined by the best observations. While DEA has already been used to assess the mere technical efficiency of judicial systems, the DDF offers a valuable additional contribution, since it makes it possible to minimize the social cost of production of adjudication in the measurement. This feature makes it particularly attractive in those sectors in which production externalities may arise, such as judicial delays in the case investigated here. Additionally, the paper first applies the bootstrap to the DDF procedure in order to provide more robust estimates and to compare them with the DEA results.

The impact of hybrid public and market-oriented financing mechanisms on the scientific portfolio and performances of public research labs: a scientometric analysis

The scientific problem of this study is the analysis of the portfolio of outputs by public research labs in the presence of hybrid funding scheme based on public and market-oriented financing mechanisms. Research institutes are considered Decision Making Units, which produce two different kinds of scientific outputs using inputs. We consider some scientific outputs with more international visibility (High Visibility Outputs-HVOs) than others called Low Visibility Outputs (LVOs). We confront this problem by a scientometric approach applying models of the Directional Output Distance Function, which endeavours to measure and analyze the effects of hybrid financing of public research labs in terms of potential loss in high quality scientific outputs, in particular when the share of market-oriented funds is beyond a specific threshold. Results, considering R&D organizations of “hard sciences”, seem to show that a hybrid financing scheme, too market-oriented for supporting operation (and survival) of research labs, tends to affect scientific output portfolio by lowering scientific performances and HVOs. The study here also proposes a preliminary analysis of the optimal level of market financing in relation to total financial resources for a fruitful co-existence of market and public funding scheme to maximize the scientific output (publications) of R&D labs. The findings show main differences across scientific departments and some critical weaknesses points and threats by public research labs for production of scientific outputs.

Hospital organization and performance: a directional distance function approach

The present study considers the Italian healthcare system, investigating the aspects that might affect the efficiency of Italian hospitals. The authors analyze what influences a specific definition of efficiency, which is calculated maximizing healthcare production but minimizing potential financial losses. In other words, this work considers efficient each hospital which is able to maximize the production of medical treatments while complying, at the same time, with budget constraints. Hence, the results of this paper are twofold: from the organizational point of view, they underline the need for rebalancing the various administrative levels of hospitals; from the technical point of view, a more coherent model is proposed in order to account for all the aspects of the healthcare industry.

Firm’s survival, rating and efficiency: new empirical evidence

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of firms’ survival during crisis in the Italian automotive value chain.,The authors propose a survival analysis, based on a dichotomic model, in which supply chain features, technical efficiency (TE) and ratings are included as explanatory variables with other controls.,TE and financial health positively influence survival. Some supply chain variables are significant such as direct supply, geographical location and outsourcing level, whereas the proximity to the national carmaker is insignificant.,The main limitation of the study is the lack of qualitative data related to supply management practice in the automotive industry.,The study combine supply chain aspects with firms’ survival, TE and financial ratings.

Productivity growth, environmental regulation and win–win opportunities: The case of chemical industry in Italy and Germany

This paper analyzes the environmental and economic efficiency of a sample of firms located in Italy and Germany, operating in the chemical sector and included in the European Pollution Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR). The Directional Distance Function (DDF) approach in a conditional setting has been applied to obtain efficiency score and Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth indexes considering pollution in computations. Emissions increase in absolute term between 2004 and 2007, with a worse performance of Italian firms, but efficiency indicators show a reduction of inefficiency over time, with similar performance of firms from the two countries. The formal test for the Porter’s hypothesis suggests that chemical firms suffering higher compliance costs in the first period react with investment increasing productivity in the following years. The empirical evidence, robust to different specifications and estimation methods, supports the presence of win–win opportunities.

The restructuring of tier 1 automotive suppliers in Europe during the crisis

The structuring of the automotive supply chain in tiers, which has progressively taken place over the last 20 years, has brought to the fore especially tier 1 suppliers, tasked with producing the so-called modules or systems, in cooperation and collaboration with a wide network of tier 2 and tier 3 suppliers. The entire automotive supply chain has been deeply affected by the economic crisis, particularly in Europe. The restructuring of the sector has occurred among final assemblers and, to a greater extent, among suppliers. This paper aims to analyse the main changes seen in tier 1 of the supply chain over the last few years, trying to understand key modifications in competition among the different production systems and the role played by companies operating in Europe. Lastly, the purpose of this research is also to contribute, thanks to empirical evidence drawn from an original and extremely detailed database, to the discussion on the main interpretation models based on the concepts of global value chain and supply chain management.

Judicial Efficiency and Immigrant Entrepreneurs

Extensive research exists on the individual determinants of being an immigrant entrepreneur, concerning both social environment and human capital. However, the role of the judiciary has not been investigated yet. Analyzing more than 160,000 new micro enterprises owned by immigrants, our paper aims to fill this gap by focusing on the relation between justice and immigrant entrepreneurship. Results show that judicial efficiency is one of the determinants of self‐employment, although some differences among immigrant groups are identified. Therefore, the study confirms the key role of judicial enforcement in promoting not only growth but also the integration of these new citizens.

Productivity and efficiency analysis in presence of pollution: a review of non-parametric methods

During the past 20 years, a rising interest in environmental protection and in the sustainability of production processes has stimulated scientific research to create indicators of efficiency and productivity that is able to consider undesirable outputs. The number of papers written is impressive, as well as the number of proposed techniques. The researchers and practitioners face great difficulties in piecing together contributions from different fields. This review is aimed at drawing a detailed ‘state of the art’ of non-parametric methods used to measure environmental and economical efficiency, showing the main features of each tool. Many recent papers are analysed and classified on the basis of some simple categories, to advise the readers in the most appropriate methodological choice. Moreover, one of the most frequently applied tools in recent empirical works, the directional distance function model (DDF) is discussed at length and an exhaustive collection of papers adopting DDF is proposed as a conclusive remark. Finally, a general overview of the main advantages and limits for each method systematises previous findings and concludes this survey.

Firm's efficiency and foreign ownership: evidence from Turin automotive cluster

During the last decade many contributions underline the importance of multinationals presence arguing their higher productivity. This paper presents a non-parametric estimate of efficiency levels and productivity trends of firms operating in the automotive sector near Turin. The obtained results are analysed using one of the most modern and robust semi-parametric technique. This allows to draw a more precise picture of the relation between ownership and productivity, cleaning for misleading individual characteristics. Large automotive multinationals appear to be less efficient in combining inputs to obtain outputs and they are also less able to improve productivity during the crisis. No evidence is found for small and medium firms owned by a foreign subject.

Which are the Benefits of Having More Female Leaders? Evidence from the Use of Part-Time Work in Italy

Using three waves of a representative survey of Italian private firms, the authors explore the impact of female managers on a firm’s use of part-time work. Building on a literature that suggests female leaders display relatively more altruistic values compared to their male counterparts, the authors assess whether these differences manifest themselves in relation to working time arrangements offered by firms. Results, robust to controls for several time-varying firm-level characteristics and unobserved fixed firm heterogeneity, indicate that female managers are significantly more likely to limit the employment of involuntary part-time workers and correspondingly make greater use of full-time employees. Female managers also are more prone to grant part-time arrangements to employees who request them. Results also suggest that increasing the number of female business leaders may mitigate the problem of underemployment among involuntary part-time workers and contribute to the work–life balance of workers with child care or elder care activities.