10th International Workshop on Efficiency in Education, Health and other Public Services

September 5th-6th, 2024

Venue:
Politecnico di Milano – Bovisa Campus
Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering (Building 26/B)
Via Raffaele Lambruschini 4/B, 20156 Milano

Welcome to the 10th International Workshop on Efficiency in Education, Health, and other Public Services. This workshop is the tenth of a series of academic meetings focused on the efficiency analysis of educational institutions and other public services.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Scientific Committee

Prof. Tommaso Agasisti, Politecnico di Milano School of Management
Prof. Kristof De Witte, KU Leuven
Prof. Ana Camanho, University of Porto

The workshop is organized in collaboration with the EFFEct project. EFFEct is funded by the European Commission in its Horizon Europe framework (grant 101129146).

CALL FOR PAPERS

Setting the scene

In an era marked by persistent economic uncertainties, characterized by stagnant growth rates and escalating inflation, the imperative to enhance efficiency in the provision of public services has never been more critical. This challenge is particularly pronounced in developed economies where fiscal constraints are stringent, and the need for judicious allocation of resources is paramount. The analysis of efficiency and productivity in public services and institutions, while a focal point of academic and policy discourse for several decades, continues to confront formidable barriers in translating theoretical insights into tangible policy and practical outcomes. These obstacles are rooted in the complex empirical and methodological nuances associated with modeling the production functions of public service entities.

The 2024 workshop “Efficiency in Education, Health and other Public Services” aims to dissect and address these intricate challenges, with a particular emphasis on the education sector and other vital public service domains. The workshop seeks to delve into the contemporary and emerging challenges that define the landscape of education and public sector efficiency.

Key areas of focus for the workshop include, but are not limited to:

Innovative Methodologies in Performance Measurement: Exploring new horizons in quantifying and assessing efficiency in public service delivery.
Theoretical and Empirical Advances: Discussing breakthroughs in academic research that can inform and reshape policy and management strategies.
Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives: Integrating insights from various academic fields to foster a holistic understanding of efficiency in public services.
Policy Implications and Managerial Insights: Translating research findings into actionable strategies for policymakers and public service administrators.
Case Studies and Practical Applications: Showcasing real-world instances where novel approaches have successfully enhanced public service efficiency.

The workshop provides an unparalleled platform for the presentation and critical examination of innovative methods, the application of established techniques, and the latest advancements in both theoretical and empirical research in the field. We encourage submissions that not only contribute to the academic discourse but also have the potential to influence policy and practice in meaningful ways. We look forward to receiving submissions that push the boundaries of our understanding and contribute to the evolution of efficiency in public services. Join us in this crucial conversation at the nexus of academia, policy, and practice, as we strive to foster economic growth and elevate the quality of public services in these challenging times.

This is the tenth edition of this academic workshop, that focuses on the efficiency analysis of education institutions and other public sectors – the previous editions took place in Greece (Thessaloniki, 2013), United Kingdom (London, 2014 and Huddersfield, 2018), Belgium (Leuven, 2015), Italy (Milan, 2016 and Pisa, 2022), Hungary (Budapest, 2017), Spain (Barcelona, 2019 and Madrid, 2023). Here is the website summarizing the history of this Workshop so far: https://feb.kuleuven.be/drc/LEER/efficiency-workshops

SUBMISSION

Prospective participants can also propose not only single papers, but also entire sessions, that can share thematic interests or methodological communalities. In this case, please indicate the name of the Chair responsible for organising the session.
Extended abstracts (max 3/4 pages) or full papers must be submitted online.

Abstracts submission closed.

PROGRAM

Thursday, September 5th

9:00-9:45 Registration
9:45-10:15 Welcoming
Location: Main hall – Sala Consiglio
10:15-11:15 Keynote speech by Roberto Ricci, INVALSI | “A key issue for our future: basic skills as a means of accessing the digital world”
Location: Sala Consiglio
[11:15:11:40 Coffee break – Location: Spazio Kaleidos]
11:40-13:10 Parallel sessions I
[13:10-14:10 Lunch break – Location: Spazio Kaleidos]
14:10-15:40 Parallel sessions II
15:40-16:40 Keynote speech by Jose M. Cordero Ferrera, University of Extremadura | “Evaluating educational efficiency from a comparative perspective using data from international large-scale assessments”
Location: Sala Consiglio
[16:40-17:00 Coffee break – Location: Spazio Kaleidos]
17:00-18:30 Parallel sessions III
20:00 Dinner at Osteria dal Verme (Via Jacopo dal Verme, 19, 20159 Milano MI)

Friday, September 6th

09:30-10:30 Keynote speech by Sylke V. Schnepf, Joint Research Centre, European Commission | “The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre: examples on how research provides evidence for supporting policy making”
Location: Sala Consiglio
[10:30-11:00 Coffee break – Location: Spazio Kaleidos]
11:00-13:00 Parallel sessions IV
[13:00-14:00 Lunch break – Location: Spazio Kaleidos]

The parallel sessions will be held in rooms: Sala Consiglio, room 0.18, room 0.19. Click here for the detailed program.

Best Paper Award

The best paper of the Workshop will be announced and celebrated during the conference dinner, and it will receive a Best Paper Award certificate. The Scientific Committee of the Workshop will define the winner, based on the following priority criteria: innovative methodology, clear impact on policy making, interdisciplinary perspective.

Keynote Speakers

José Manuel Cordero Ferrera (University of Extremadura, Spain)
Roberto Ricci (INVALSI, Italy)
Sylke V. Schnepf (Joint Research Centre, European Commission)

José Manuel Cordero Ferrera (University of Extremadura, Spain)

José M. Cordero is Full Professor in the Department of Economics of the University of Extremadura. He holds a PhD in Economics from the same university. His main research interests are in the fields of efficiency and productivity analysis, economics of education and health economics. His research experience has been reflected in in more than 80 scientific papers published in peer-reviewed journals as well as in several books and book chapters. He has collaborated in multiple research projects with different Spanish institutions such as FUNCAS, Ramon Areces Foundation or AIReF. A key objective of his research is to provide insights for policy design. He has been a member of the executive board of the AEDE (Economics of Education Association), holding the position of President for 3 years.

Roberto Ricci (INVALSI Institute, Italy)

President of INVALSI since 2021, he has been working there since 2008 as responsible for national assessments and coordinator of the research area. After obtaining a PhD in statistical methodology for scientific research, he has been working for over twenty years in the field of measurement of learning through standardized tests. He is a member of the IEA’s General Assemby and Standing Committee and of the Governing Boards of OECD PISA and TALIS. In recent years, he has been involved in the national implementation of important evaluation tools in schools, such as the measurement of the school effect, the
so-called added value, and the definition of the diachronic-longitudinal change of learning levels. Recently he has been engaged in the transition to computer-based testing (CBT) of the INVALSI assessments, also in an adaptive perspective at the individual level (multistage adaptive testing). He is a trainer at schools to foster a constructive dialogue on the issues of external evaluation. He is the author of many informative and technical-methodological articles on aspects related to large-scale standardized measurement.

Sylke Viola Schnepf (Joint Research Centre, European Commission)

Sylke V. Schnepf (PhD) is a senior policy advisor in the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) Unit S3 on Science for Modelling, Monitoring and Evaluation (Ispra, Italy). She is part of the Survey Methods and Analysis Centre (SMAC) team conducting research on survey design, fairness and loneliness. She also contributes to the Competence Centre on Microeconomic Evaluation through research, teaching and advisory activities on quantitative education policy evaluation. Before joining the JRC in 2014, she was an associate professor in social statistics at the University of Southampton, United Kingdom. Dr Schnepf has a long publication record on patterns of cross-national educational inequalities and counterfactual impact evaluation of policies aimed at mitigating these inequalities. She is also a member of the Scientific Committee of the JRC and a research fellow of the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn, Germany.