Financial Efficiency of Tertiary Education Institutions: A Second-Stage Dynamic Network Data Envelopment Analysis Method

Abstract

The overall performance of an organization depends on the operational efficiency of different divisions in a network structure. The organization is really efficient only if each division is operating efficiently. The linkage between divisions is inherently complex and needs to be perused to provide more appropriate solutions for further improvement. Using the advanced dynamic network data envelopment analysis method, this paper investigates divisional efficiency in relation to the overall performance of tertiary education institutions in a network structure. As an illustrative case, the performance of 82 Vietnamese public universities was analyzed for the period 2011–2013. The results indicate that the financial efficiency is 0.826, while the academic efficiency is 0.782. The overall dynamic network efficiency of public universities is 0.804 which strongly correlated with academic efficiency rather than financial efficiency. The second-stage fractional regression analysis is proposed to investigate the effects of contextual factors on the efficiency of the financial division. The findings reveal that enrolment growth, central management and location influence financial efficiency. These findings suggest that more consideration has to be given to government policies by removing enrolment quotas and complicated line management in the context of Vietnamese higher education.