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Evaluating the Administrative Efficiency of Courts

NCJ Number
89851
Journal
Omega The International Journal of Management Science Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Dated: (1981) Pages: 401-411
Author(s)
A Y Lewin; R C Morey; T J Cook
Date Published
1982
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This paper illustrates how courts can be evaluated in terms of their relative administrative efficiency, using a new approach called data envelopment analysis (DEA).
Abstract
The DEA is based upon the economic notion of Pareto optimality which states that a given decisionmaking unit (DMU) is inefficient if some other DMU, or some combination of other DMU's, can produce at least the same amounts of outputs with less of some resource input and not more of any other resource. Conversely, a DMU is said to be efficient if the above is not possible. In the case of courts, the efficiency of any particular court is calculated by forming the ratio of a weighted sum of outputs to a weighted sum of inputs, where the weights of both outputs and inputs are to be selected in a manner that calculates the Pareto-Koopmans efficiency of the court. This paper reviews the DEA method and illustrates its application to a data base for 100 criminal superior courts in North Carolina. Tables and 19 references are included. (Author abstract modified)

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