Network activity analysis for arbitrary production structures and technologies: Generic approach with application to network DEA

Network activity analysis for arbitrary production structures and technologies: Generic approach with application to network DEA | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Network activity analysis for arbitrary production structures and technologies: Generic approach with application to network DEA Harald Dyckhoff, Rainer Souren This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4108031/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Today, production usually takes place in complex networks. An important question is how the efficiency of the whole network is related to that of its units. Respective research on this topic has been strongly growing over the past decades, as a rule using methods of data envelopment analysis that are known as “network DEA”. However, there is a lack of theoretical foundation that allows clear statements to be made for arbitrary network structures and general, possibly non-convex or even discrete production technologies. This paper develops an activity analytic approach for modelling such general production networks and measuring their efficiency. Based on work of Koopmans and embedding it into a broader framework the approach is generic as it requires rather weak premises with regard to production technology and allows the network to be simply composed from its units as subsystems. It is shown that the relationship between the efficiency of a network activity and that of the subsystems and units depends strongly on the extent of which the individual production units are free to choose their input and output quantities, i.e. whether the network is loose or tied. Especially in cases where flows of intermediate products are constrained (instead of freely disposable), the explicit modelling of their overproduction helps to analyse their influence on efficiency scores. It is furthermore shown that calculating an overall efficiency score for a decision-making unit as average of individual scores of network units is inappropriate in any case. Activity analysis production networks efficiency analysis data envelopment analysis non-standard production theory Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4108031","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":280307797,"identity":"deab8196-de82-4ee8-a8dd-3794ece15dfe","order_by":0,"name":"Harald Dyckhoff","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABGUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACewYGZmYGBjl+fnaoiAGIYGwAkQlYtRg2gLUYS85shqiTIKjF4ABUy4bDRGu5kfzYuKDCQML4MI/5A8Y9h+vMGZgffvi5wyaPgT35AHYtacbJM84YSJgd5gE68tlhCcsGNmPJ3jNpxQw8z7BaY3Ajh/kwb9ufOoiWA7clDO4/MJBmbDuc2CCRY4BHC9BhzTAtB9g//2Zs+w/Ukv8Bl5ZkkBYDZrgWHjOgLQdAtmD1vmHPM2NjHqBfJA6zFc5IOPBfcsMBnjLL3rbkxDaeZ1gdZs+e/FiaBxhi/O3NGz58OJDGD3TY5hs/2+wS+9mTH2C1RgA5VFBCiA2reiDgP4BLZhSMglEwCkYBFAAASIxiTHzySXwAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"RWTH Aachen University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Harald","middleName":"","lastName":"Dyckhoff","suffix":""},{"id":280307798,"identity":"c2e86c04-4386-438b-a333-02b95f410e44","order_by":1,"name":"Rainer Souren","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ilmenau University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rainer","middleName":"","lastName":"Souren","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-03-15 12:59:32","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4108031/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4108031/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":59809883,"identity":"6008426d-ee12-440d-8a13-2c92d6c2c8f2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-07 19:07:27","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":703985,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"PRODNetworkactivityanalysis240315.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4108031/v1_covered_edbe6f32-2407-434b-9802-87d64417395d.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Network activity analysis for arbitrary production structures and technologies: Generic approach with application to network DEA","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Activity analysis, production networks, efficiency analysis, data envelopment analysis, non-standard production theory","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4108031/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4108031/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eToday, production usually takes place in complex networks. 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