Capacity & Technical Efficiency Toolbox

The Capacity & Technical Efficiency Toolbox contains selected literature, examples, and programs about measuring efficiency and capacity in fisheries. These examples use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and are written in GAMS -- the General Algabraic Modeling System. More information about GAMS can be obtained from GAMS Development Corporation.

The Toolbox has recently been updated to reflect changes that have occurred in the GAMS programming language. Specifically, GAMS Development has released the GUSS utility which can be used to solve multiple instances of the same linear programming problem, which is what a DEA program does. Simply put, a DEA program solves the same linear programming problem multiple times by changing the data considered during each model run. This page has now been updated with a separate section showing examples of DEA programs using the GUSS solver. These examples are equivalent models to those found in the “Oriented Models” section.

The Capacity & Technical Efficiency Toolbox was developed by John Walden, NOAA Fisheries economist, at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA.

Technical Efficiency

These programs measure technical efficiency from either an input or output orientation. Programs are based on algorithms found in Production Frontiers by Färe, Grosskopf, and Lovell (1994). All programs are written in GAMS and are available in PDF format.

GUSS with GAMS

Input-Oriented Technical Efficiency	Output-Oriented Technical Efficiency
Constant Returns to Scale, Strong Disposability	Constant Returns to Scale, Strong Disposability
Variable Returns to Scale, Strong Disposability	Variable Returns to Scale, Strong Disposability
Nonincreasing Returns to Scale, Strong Disposability	Nonincreasing Returns to Scale, Strong Disposability
Variable Returns to Scale, Weak Disposability

Older Programs

Oriented Models

Input-Oriented Technical Efficiency	Output-Oriented Technical Efficiency
Constant Returns to Scale, Strong Disposability	Constant Returns to Scale, Strong Disposability
Variable Returns to Scale, Strong Disposability	Variable Returns to Scale, Strong Disposability
Nonincreasing Returns to Scale, Strong Disposability	Nonincreasing Returns to Scale, Strong Disposability
Variable Returns to Scale, Global Weak Disposability

Non-Oriented Models

Directional Distance Function	Graph Efficiency
Constant Returns to Scale	Constant Returns to Scale
Variable Returns to Scale

Capacity and Capacity Utilization

Listed below are a series of programs for estimating capacity based on the Johansen (1968) definition of plant capacity. In these models, fixed factors do not constrain production. There are several different approaches used including: the standard output oriented model, the graph efficiency approach, and the directional distance function approach. The directional distance function approach includes example programs where there are undesirable outputs.

Standard Output-Oriented Model	Graph Efficiency with both Desirable and Undesirable Outputs	Directional Distance Function with Desirable and Undesirable Outputs
Constant Returns to Scale, Strong Disposability	Constant Returns to Scale, Weak Disposability	Constant Returns to Scale, Weak Disposability
Variable Returns to Scale, Strong Disposability	Variable Returns to Scale, Weak Disposability	Variable Returns to Scale, Weak Disposability
Variable Returns to Scale, Global Weak Disposability