| Article ID: | iaor2000274 |
| Country: | Italy |
| Volume: | 27 |
| Issue: | 81/82 |
| Start Page Number: | 121 |
| End Page Number: | 137 |
| Publication Date: | Jan 1997 |
| Journal: | Ricerca Operativa |
| Authors: | Testi Angela |
| Keywords: | statistics: data envelopment analysis |
This study measures technical efficiency of Italian hospitals in 1992 through Data Envelopment Analysis. It finds that ownership is important in determining efficiency. There is some evidence of better performance of public hospitals versus private ones in contrast with property rights and bureaucracy theories, which suggest that public ownership would be an incentive towards a less efficient behaviour.