Resource efficiency and energy productivity. Is there a definite direction?

• Main Author: Γιαταγάννας, Βασίλειος
• Other Authors: Giatagannas, Vasileios
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Productive performance; Energy efficiency; Environmental efficiency; Data envelopment analysis; Directional distance function; Panel data; Heterogeneous technologies; Metafrontier; Competitiveness; Spillover effects; Παραγωγική απόδοση; Ενεργειακή απόδοση; Περιβαλλοντική απόδοση; Ανάλυσης περιβάλλουσας δεδομένων; Λειτουργία κατεύθυνσης απόστασης; Πάνελ δεδομένα; Τεχνολογική ετερογένεια; Μέτα-ανάλυση; Ανταγωνιστικότητα; Επίδραση

Energy is vital to our daily lives. Without energy, people and businesses can not function. Turning on our computers or starting our cars are actions we take for granted, but they represent the final stage of a complex process. First of all, energy resources must be extracted from our environment. Primary energy sources are converted into energy products available for consumption. For example, crude oil is converted to motor gasoline, while mineral, nuclear, and renewable energy are converted into electricity. The role of environmental efficiency (EE) is an important and critical issue on the policy agenda and it is therefore vital to have an accurate assessment of environmental performance. In order to assess the impact of carbon dioxide emissions in the country, we use both the Data Envelopment Analysis method and the Directional Distance Function (DDF) function to assess technical, energy and environmental efficiency. This dissertation will attempt to estimate these indicators using a sample of 27 European countries for the period 2000-2017, i.e. for 18 years. All this will be done in the light of the heterogeneity of technology that exists between states. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether countries that appear to be technically efficient are in fact, whether they are energy efficient and of course how environmentally efficient.