Modelling environmental constraints on the efficiency of management forms for public service delivery

Abstract

This paper presents a new non-parametric methodology in which robust frontiers are used to measure the impact of environmental constraints on efficiency. In this approach, a data panel structure is applied to determine which management forms for the delivery of municipal services – public or private, in cooperation or individual – are best suited to the environment where the services are provided. The study method proposed is then applied to analyse the waste collection service provided in Spanish municipalities during the period 2002–2014. The results obtained show that of the management forms considered inter-municipal cooperation adapts best to heterogeneous environmental conditions.