Measure-Specific DEA Models

Although DEA does not need a priori information on the underlying functional forms and weights among various input and output measures, it assumes proportional improvements of inputs or outputs. This assumption becomes invalid when a preference structure over the improvement of different inputs (outputs) is present in evaluating (inefficient) DMUs (see also Chap. 7). We need models where a particular set of performance measures is given pre-emptive priority to improve.