Efficiency of Higher Education Systems in the European Union Member States: A DEA Approach

The system of higher education is formed as one of the main pillars in the modern economic development of each country. The consequences of educational activities can be both positive by creating opportunities for achieving greater added value, and negative, expressed in various market deficits and vulnerabilities in financial management and the implementation of government policy. Therefore, the analysis of higher education is important for the national economy, the labour market, the participants in the educational process (teachers, students, PhD students, researchers, administrators, etc.), as well as for all taxpayers who indirectly finance the state education system. This has resulted in a significant number of scientific publications evaluating various aspects of higher education institutions. The present study aims to evaluate, by means of a non-parametric model such as Data envelopment analysis, the technical efficiency of higher education systems in the European Union in three main aspects: teaching activity, research activity and management of education expenditure. The analysis covers the period from 2013 to 2021, and this period is divided into two sub-periods to track changes in the efficient management of education systems.