ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
This paper examines Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) as a tool for managing performance of
Nigerian universities. It posits that performance assessment of the universities through periodic
accreditation exercise is proving inadequate to meet developmental challenges at national and global
levels .The universities could be able to play their roles effectively if they identify and strive towards
improving socio-economic and political needs of the country. University education should also prepare
its recipients for present and future needs. These aspirations could be actualized through the use of DEA
which is capable of measuring and controlling performance of members of an organization. It is also
capable of monitoring inputs, processes and outputs in such university programmes as teaching,
research and community services. Its use is therefore recommended for Nigerian universities in order to
be able to attain sustainable development.
Abbot, M & Doucouliagos, C. (2003). The efficiency of Australian universities: A data
envelopment analysis. Economies of Education Review, 23, 8 – 97.
Ahn, T., Charnes, A., & Cooper, W.W. (1988). Some Statistical and DEA Evaluations of relative
efficiencies of public and private institutions of higher learning. Socio-Economic Planning
Sciences. 22(6),295 – 269.
Ana, L. M. L. & Edgar, A. L. (2002). Data envelopment analysis (DEA) and fuzzy set to assess
the performance of academic departments: A case study at Federal University of Santa
Catarina. Pesquisa Operacional. 22(2), 217-230. Doi: 10.1590/S0101-74382002000200008.
Blanchard,O.(2004). Economic future of Europe. NBERWorking Paper 103(10)
Bowlin, W.F. (1998). Measuring performance: An Introduction to data envelopment analysis
(DEA). Journal of Cost Analysis, 8, 3 – 27.
Charnes, A.,Cooper, W.W.& Rhodes, E. (1978). Measuring the efficiency of decision making
units. European Journal of Operation Research, 26, 29 – 44.
Coelli, T. (1992). Assessing the performance of Australian universities using data envelopment
analysis. Internal Report, Center for Efficiency and Productivity Analysis, University of New
England.
Coelli, T. & Perelman, S. (1990). A comparison of Parametric and Non-parametric distant
functions with application to European railways. European Journal of Operation Research, 117,
326 – 339.
Coelli, T., Prasada, R.T.D. & Battesse, G.E. (2000). An introduction to efficiency and productivity
analysis. USA: Springer International Series.
Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004). National policy on education. Lagos: Nigerian Educational
Research and Development Council.
Jourmady, O. & Ris. C. (2005). Performance in European higher education: A non-parametric
production frontier approach, University of New Caledonia, Mimeo.
Lelimann, M., Christensen, P, & Hansen, J.A. (2007). Public –Private partnership and the roles
of universities in sustainable development. Mimeo: Department of Business Studies, Aaslog
University, Denmark.
National Universities Commission, (2002). Report on the performance of federal university
system. Abuja: NUC.
Ogunyemi, B. (2005). Mainstreaming sustainable development into Africa school curriculum:
issue for Nigeria. Journal of CurrentIssue.
www.tc.columbia.edu/cice/archieve/7.2/72ogunyemi.Pdf
Seiford, L.M. & Thrall, R.M. (1990). Recent development in DEA:
The mathematical programming approach to frontier analysis. Journal of econometrics A (46-11-2)
Talluri, S. (2000). Data envelopment analysis model and extensions. 31:8-
www.decisionscience.org/decisionline//vol131/133pom.Pdf
Thanassolis, E. (2001). Introduction to the theory and application of data envelopment analysis.
Norwell, Massachusetts: Kluwer Academic Publisher.
World Commission on Environment and Development (1987).
Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. UNO
World Health Organization (2005). World summit document. WHO
N/A
Copyright: © 2011 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode