| Article ID: | iaor20122846 |
| Volume: | 37 |
| Issue: | 2 |
| Start Page Number: | 171 |
| End Page Number: | 186 |
| Publication Date: | Apr 2012 |
| Journal: | Journal of Productivity Analysis |
| Authors: | Chavas Jean-Paul, Kim Kwansoo, Foltz Jeremy, Barham Bradford |
| Keywords: | econometrics, efficiency, higher education, research funding, patents, United States |
This article investigates the determinants of efficiency and technological progress at US research universities. It relies on a unique panel data set of multiple outputs and inputs from 92 universities covering the period 1981–1998. Over that time span, US universities experienced large increases in industry funding and in academic patenting activity. In this context, the directional distance function and a nonparametric representation of the underlying production technology are combined to obtain estimates of productivity growth and technical efficiency. An econometric analysis is then presented to examine the determinants of technical efficiency and the rate of technological progress. The results show how changes in funding sources for US research universities affects research performance.