Productivity Growth in Norwegian Psychiatric Outpatient Clinics for Children and Youths
Authors:
Halsteinli V., Kittelsen S.A.C., Magnussen J.
Year:
2005
Reference:
Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics
8, pp 183-91.Summary
Norwegian government policy is to increase the supply of psychiatric services to children, both by increasing personnel and productivity in the psychiatric outpatient clinics. The paper aims to estimate change in productivity, and whether any change is related to personnel mix, budget growth or financial incentives. We use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to estimate a production frontier. Bootstrap methods are used to estimate confidence intervals for the Malmquist index of technical productivity change and its decomposition. In a second stage, the technical productivity index is regressed on variables associated with productivity growth. Panel data for the period of 1996-2001 is analyzed. The results indicate increased overall technical productivity by about 4.5 per cent a year in the period. Personnel growth has a negative influence on productivity growth, whilst a growth in the portion of university educated personnel improves productivity. The financial reform of 1997 had no substantial effect.
This article has received "The Adam Smith Award".
Project:
Oppdragsgiver: Norges forskningsrådOppdragsgivers prosjektnr.:
Frisch prosjekt: 4101 - Economics of health
