Laura Asandului

The Efficiency of Healthcare Systems in Europe: A Data Envelopment Analysis Approach

This paper aims at evaluating the efficiency of public healthcare systems in Europe by applying a nonparametric method such is Data Envelopment Analysis. For this purpose, statistical data for 30 European states for 2010 have been used. We have selected three output variables: life expectancy at birth, health adjusted life expectancy and infant mortality rate and three input variables: number of doctors, number of hospital beds and public health expenditures as percentage of GDP. Findings reveal that there are a number of both developed and developing countries on the efficiency frontier, while the great majority of the countries in the sample are inefficient.

The Quantitative Analysis of Research Activities - The Case of Romania

The European Council in Lisbon set the European Union the strategic goal of becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010. The measures to be implemented by 2010 pursuant to the conclusions of the Council are primarily to serve the goals among which one is more and better networked research and innovation within the framework of a European Research Area. The research and development have the role of a driving force for a competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy. The pursue of the Lisbon Agenda and the increase of the quantum of investments in research is the key factor in the change of the paradigm of present development of Romania; this development should be grounded in research and innovation. In the paper we analyzed the following statistics: the proportion of expenditures for research activities in the GDP, the proportion of expenditures for education in the GDP, the number of researchers in service/mil. inhabitants, the competitiveness indicator, etc. The proportion of the expenditures for research and development in the GDP, of 0.38 in 2002, places Romania on one of the bottom positions in Europe. Regarding the financing of research activities, the European Union has set a level of financing of RDI of two thirds private financing and one third public financing. In our country, however, the proportion of private financing is high compared to other candidate states or even member states of the EU (the average in the candidate states was 55% in 1999, while the average for the member states was 44%). In 2002, in Romania, GERD consisted of 48.4% public financing and 7% foreign financing. Romania has undertaken to achieve an adequate financing of the Research - Development - Innovation system, as well to reach a level of RDI expenditures of about 1% of the GDP by 2007. At the same time, a minimum target of 3% of the GDP is envisaged as total expenditures for the RDI by 2015.

IDENTIFYING AND EXPLAINING THE EFFICIENCY OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEMS IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Abstract The purpose of this study was to identify the efficient European healthcare systems. The study differs from other similar researches in that it uses different variables in assessing the efficiency of the healthcare systems, and also in that it uses a two-stage approach in the analysis. In order to identify the efficient healthcare systems, we used a non-parametric method, Data Envelopment Analysis, which allows the evaluation of the countries against an efficiency frontier. Furthermore, we explain the efficiency by analysing several factors which influence the efficiency of the healthcare systems, using the censored regression analysis. The findings indicate that there are significant efficiency disparities both among the developed states and among the developing ones. Finally, we suggest several directions for the public policy, in order to increase the efficiency of the public healthcare systems in the European countries.

The New Service Economy and It's Implications for Statistics

The New Service Economy is an increasingly global economy in which businesses compete and communicate in a worldwide marketplace. High-technology and information-based goods and services are dominating todays economy. New business models are applied, and international business is changing profoundly. The New Service Economy poses opportunities as well as threats to data collection. In some instances, the existing data systems must be improved. The greatest challenge will be to devise new data systems designed to go beyond monitoring and with an explicit orientation to shed light on the underlying dynamics of the economy.