In this paper we have examined the scale and cost efficiency of Italian and Swiss regional bus companies. For this purpose, we have used the estimation of a frontier cost model using a fixed effect approach. Two translog cost frontier models were specified and estimated using panel data. The first model was estimated for a sample of 58 Italian bus companies, whereas the second model was estimated...
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This paper examines the productive efficiency of the hospital sector in Switzerland. A panel data of 214 general hospitals over the four-year period between 1998 and 2001 has been analyzed. A descriptive analysis of the data casts some light on differences across hospital types especially regarding case mix severity and length of hospitalizations. The final sample used for the cost frontier...
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In: Regional Science and urban economics, 2014, vol. 49, p. 242-251
The benefits of separating drug prescribing and dispensing are still unclear, in particular when drug consumption is characterized by important spillovers. We investigate the role of dispensing physicians in the consumption of antibiotics characterized by two opposite external effects: infection prevention and control, and bacterial resistance. We model the interaction between competing...
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Regulation of prescription and dispensing of antibiotics has a twin purpose: to enhance access to antibiotic treatment and to reduce inappropriate use of drugs. Nevertheless, incentives on antibiotics to dispensing physicians may lead to inefficiencies. We model the interaction between competing physicians (with and without dispensing of drugs) and patients exposed to bacterial infections when...
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In: Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 2006, vol. 77, no. 3, p. 271–290
This paper explores the application of several panel data models in measuring productive efficiency of the electricity distribution sector. Stochastic Frontier Analysis has been used to estimate the cost-efficiency of 59 distribution utilities operating over a nine year period in Switzerland. The estimated coefficients and inefficiency scores are compared across three different panel data models....
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In: The european journal of health economics, 2013, vol. 14, no. 4, p. 587-599
Because of evidence of causal association between antibiotic use and bacterial resistance, the implementation of national policies has emerged as a interesting tool for controlling and reversing bacterial resistance. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of public policies on antibiotic use in Europe using a differences-in-differences approach. Comparable data on systemic antibiotics ...
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In: Servizi pubblici: nuove tendenze nella regolamentazione nella produzione e nel finanziamento, 2007, p. 159-176
In the last two decades electricity distribution sector have witnessed a wave of regulatory reforms aimed at improving efficiency through incentive regulation. Most of these regulation schemes use benchmarking namely measuring a company’s efficiency and rewarding them accordingly. The reliability of efficiency estimates is crucial for an effective implementation of those incentive mechanisms. A...
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We model demand for different classes of antibiotics used for respiratory infections in outpatient care using a linear approximate almost ideal demand system approach. We compute elasticities to socioeconomic determinants of consumption and own- and cross- price elasticities between different groups of antibiotics. We find significant elasticities between newer/more expensive generations and...
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When defining how to implement tendering procedures for the regional bus transportation industry, one of the main problems local authorities have to face is setting the area size to be assigned as franchised monopoly. This paper’s aim is to analyze the topic by combining some empirical results and evidence from recent experience [developments] in the Italian regional bus industry. The empirical...
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The purpose of this study is to assess differences in the levels of cost efficiency of bus lines operated under competitively tendered contracts and performance-based negotiated contracts. Following the revision of the Swiss railways act in 1996, regional public authorities were given the choice between two different contractual regimes to procure public passenger transport services. We...
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