| Article ID: | iaor200970341 |
| Country: | United States |
| Volume: | 20 |
| Issue: | 3 |
| Start Page Number: | 324 |
| End Page Number: | 354 |
| Publication Date: | Jul 2008 |
| Journal: | Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting and Financial Management |
| Authors: | Mensah Yaw M, Lam Kevin C M, Werner Robert H |
| Keywords: | education, performance, statistics: regression, measurement |
We present, in this study, a method for comparing the relative effectiveness of different non-profit institutions with similar objectives. In addition, we show how this measure of relative effectiveness is related theoretically to their relative efficiency. Relative effectiveness is shown to be a product of the efficacy with which potentially utilizable resources can be converted into usable inputs, and the efficiency with which the inputs are converted to outputs or outcomes. Finally drawing on developments in data envelopment analysis, we illustrate the new methodology using data from 109 institutions of higher education.