Gerhard Reichmann

Measuring University Library Efficiency Using Data Envelopment Analysis

In this paper we analyse the technical efficiency of 118 randomly selected university libraries from German-speaking countries (Austria, Germany, Switzerland) and English-speaking countries (the United States, Australia and Canada) using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). DEA efficiency scores are calculated using library staff, measured in full-time equivalents, and book materials held as inputs, and the number of serial subscriptions, total circulations, regular opening hours per week, and book materials added as outputs. Among the 118 university libraries analysed 10 are rated fully efficient. However, comparing group-specific efficiency scores, there are no significant differences between libraries from English-speaking and German-speaking countries or between small and large university libraries.

Efficiency measures and productivity indexes in the context of university library benchmarking

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) has attracted considerable attention during the last few decades as an intuitively clear method for performance assessment. Theoretical developments have taken turns with empirical efficiency studies. In this paper we empirically analyse performance differences across university libraries from different countries from a cross-section and a longitudinal perspective. We use the Malmquist index approach to disentangle environmental efficiency from technical efficiency (TE) to highlight performance differences eventually induced by environmental factors beyond the control of library management, as well as to decompose productivity changes over time into changes in TE and changes in technology. In our cross-section analysis we found that North American (NA) libraries are more productive at higher input levels than the European libraries from Germany and Austria at which we looked in this contribution. Moreover, the largest NA libraries are still able to improve performance, as the results of panel data analysis revealed.

The Austrian Tobacco Act in practice – Analysing the effectiveness of partial smoking bans in Austrian restaurants and bars

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of partial smoking bans in restaurants and bars, such as those currently in place in Austria, by evaluating adherence to the relevant regulations and assessing the satisfaction levels of those affected by these regulations. To evaluate adherence, 127 randomly selected restaurants and bars were observed using a form of structured observation. In order to evaluate their level of satisfaction with the regulations, 342 randomly selected customers and 29 restaurant owners were interviewed using standardized questionnaires. The customers widely adhered to the partial smoking bans, but many of them were dissatisfied with the fragmented Austrian solution. Most restaurant owners showed neither adherence to the relevant regulations nor satisfaction with the partial smoking bans. The present study reveals that partial bans on smoking are an ineffective solution. The presumed advantages of these regulations, such as still allowing smoking in restaurants provided a spatial separation of smoking and non-smoking areas is guaranteed, cannot be confirmed; adherence to the partial bans is rather inadequate, especially among restaurant owners, and the level of satisfaction with the Austrian solution is poor as well, not only among smoking and non-smoking customers, but also restaurant owners.

Individual and Institutional Corruption in European and US Healthcare: Overview and Link of Various Corruption Typologies

In recent years, the fight against healthcare corruption has intensified. Estimates from the European Healthcare Fraud and Corruption Network calculate an approximate €56 billion annual loss to Europe as a result of corruption. To promote understanding of the complexity and interconnection of corrupt activities, we aim to present healthcare-related corruption typologies of the European Union and European Healthcare Fraud and Corruption Network. We subsequently link them to the typology of individual and institutional corruption introduced by Dennis Thompson in the context of investigating misconduct of US Congressional members. According to Thompson, individual corruption is the personal gain of individuals performing duties within an institution in exchange for nurturing private interests, while institutional corruption pertains to the failure of the institution in directing the individual’s behaviour towards the achievement of the institution’s primary purpose because the institutional design promotes the pursuit of individual goals. Effective anti-corruption activities not only require the enactment of anti-corruption laws but also the monitoring and, where appropriate, revision of institutional frameworks to prevent the undermining of the primary purposes of health systems or institutions. To gain further understanding of the similarities and differences of the three typologies, prime examples of corrupt activities in the health sector in the European Union and USA (along with their potential remedies) are provided. Linking corruption cases to Thompson’s typology revealed that many corrupt activities may show elements of both individual and institutional corruption because they are intertwined, partly overlap and may occur jointly. Hence, sanctioning individual actors only does not target the problem.

Gesundheitsversorgung in Österreich unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des ländlichen Raums

Im Rahmen dieses Beitrags werden zentrale Aspekte der Gesundheitsversorgung in Osterreich vorgestellt und analysiert, wobei insbesondere auf die Gesundheitsversorgung im landlichen Raum eingegangen wird. Zu diesem Zweck wird zunachst ein knapper Uberblick uber die osterreichische Gesundheitspolitik der letzten 50 Jahre gegeben, welcher erkennen lasst, dass sich eine Versorgungsforschung im engeren Sinn, die auf eine bedarfsgerechte Versorgung der Bevolkerung mit Gesundheitsleistungen abzielt, derzeit noch im Aufb au befindet. Im Hinblick auf die Gesundheitsversorgung im landlichen Raum ist festzuhalten, dass dieser in den politischen Programmen zwar durchaus Beachtung geschenkt wird, eine einheitliche Abgrenzung, was im Gesundheitsbereich unter landlichem Raum zu verstehen ist, allerdings fehlt. Deshalb werden im empirischen Teil mehrere Varianten zur Abgrenzung des landlichen Raums im Gesundheitsbereich vorgestellt. Diese werden anschliesend herangezogen, um zu uberprufen, ob es wesentliche Unterschiede in der Gesundheitsversorgung zwischen landlichem und stadtischem Raum gibt. Dabei wird auf einige zentrale Leistungsanbieter, namlich Krankenanstalten, Arzte/Arztinnen und Apotheken, abgestellt. Die Analyse der vorhandenen Daten zeigt, dass Unterschiede, sofern uberhaupt vorhanden, im Zeitablauf tendenziell geringer geworden sind.