Łukasz Brzezicki

The study aims to assess innovation levels of European cities and capitals using both hard data and soft indicators that shape an innovation-friendly climate. Innovation Cities Index 2023 data (2ThinkNow) covering 139 European cities, including 34 capitals, were analyzed. Capitals were compared with other national cities, and countries were grouped by innovation gaps between capitals and second-ranked cities. EU capitals outperform other European capitals, while non-EU capitals with close EU cooperation also achieve higher scores. Capitals generally exceed other cities in innovation, with exceptions. Two structural patterns emerge: countries with large capital-city innovation gaps versus those with balanced urban development. Results provide guidance for policymakers and urban planners seeking to foster balanced and sustainable innovation across national urban systems. The study uniquely integrates hard and soft innovation data to reveal how EU integration influences comparative urban innovation patterns across Europe.

This study addresses the challenges of measuring technical efficiency and productivity in the performing arts sector during the post-pandemic recovery period (2022–2023). Utilizing a non-radial Data Envelopment Analysis and the Global Malmquist Index, the research evaluates how human resource allocation influences performance, using 21 Polish philharmonic institutions as an empirical context. The results reveal significant performance variations and relatively low sector-wide efficiency. Notably, philharmonics supervised by regional authorities demonstrated higher efficiency and productivity compared to those under municipal governance. Furthermore, productivity growth was driven primarily by sector-wide technological progress rather than improvements in individual unit efficiency. The study identifies employment as a crucial factor, though its impact is mediated by operational scale. These findings provide broader methodological and practical insights for cultural economics and public policy, particularly regarding staffing optimization in post-crisis contexts, while filling a significant gap in the performing arts efficiency literature.

The study aims to assess innovation levels of European cities and capitals using both hard data and soft indicators that shape an innovation-friendly climate. Innovation Cities Index 2023 data (2ThinkNow) covering 139 European cities, including 34 capitals, were analyzed. Capitals were compared with other national cities, and countries were grouped by innovation gaps between capitals and second-ranked cities. EU capitals outperform other European capitals, while non-EU capitals with close EU cooperation also achieve higher scores. Capitals generally exceed other cities in innovation, with exceptions. Two structural patterns emerge: countries with large capital-city innovation gaps versus those with balanced urban development. Results provide guidance for policymakers and urban planners seeking to foster balanced and sustainable innovation across national urban systems. The study uniquely integrates hard and soft innovation data to reveal how EU integration influences comparative urban innovation patterns across Europe.

For many years, regional innovation systems in Europe have been studied and compared against each other within the framework of the Regional Innovation Scoreboard. However, it has a number of drawbacks, e.g. the combined input-output approach, which does not respond to societal expectations, as in this era of all-round economisation, it is the outputs of the activity that are more important than the potential contained in the inputs. Therefore, in our study we focused on an approach aimed at maximising the outputs achieved by regional innovation systems. The results of the study indicated that, even taking into account negative environmental outcomes, the vast majority of regional innovation systems show efficiency. We have shown that although the regional innovation systems group studied is highly efficient, our research indicates that in the long term, the narrow classification into four innovation groups according to the Regional Innovation Scoreboard methodology is increasingly less useful, as there is a reduction in the number of groups as a result of the ‘shift’ of units to three main ones. We also provided recommendations for EU regional innovation policy on the Regional Innovation Scoreboard tool. Our recommendation is to introduce more differentiated variables into the European survey and to focus more on evaluating the innovation system from the perspective of the results obtained and less on an input approach.

This paper provides a comprehensive review of slacks‐based measure (SBM) models within the nonparametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) framework. The review reveals that the development and modifications of SBM models have progressed in multiple directions. Key areas of modification include (1) the nature of inputs and outputs, (2) data specificity, (3) super‐efficiency for ranking decision‐making units, (4) the inclusion of networks in organizational structures or production processes, (5) the dynamic nature of the analysis, and (6) various other methodological aspects. Increasingly, complex SBM models addressing multiple aspects, such as input/output characteristics and data specificity, are appearing in the literature. Another notable trend is the integration of various methodological proposals from different authors into unified SBM models. Some publications even attempt to forecast future efficiency levels and incorporate large datasets (big data). Despite numerous modifications and advancements, SBM models still lack robust statistical inference capabilities, unlike radial models, which possess more developed statistical foundations.

The article, based on data from 2023, measures the efficiency of 174 Polish, public museums in two selected and related areas of their statutory activities. The study used a two-stage analysis. In the first stage the non-radial slacks-based measure network model belonging to the Data Envelopment Analysis method, was used to estimate the efficiency of museums. In the second stage, a tobit regression was applied, to find the environmental factors that significantly affect this efficiency. The results of the study indicate that museums are characterized by a low overall average efficiency (0.205). On the one hand, this is mainly due to the poor efficiency of museums' activities in increasing the number of visitors and participants in events (0.175). On the other hand, the efficiency of the implementation of these activities is on average satisfactory (0.458). Over 58% of the surveyed museums are characterized by lower-than-average efficiency in both analysed areas. The overall efficiency of both areas is significantly positively influenced by the possibility of purchasing a ticket online. It has also been shown that ethnographic and anthropological museums are significantly less efficient compared to interdisciplinary museums. In addition, museums run by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage are significantly more efficient than museums run by various types of local governments.

The article, based on data from 2023, measures the efficiency of 174 Polish, public museums in two selected and related areas of their statutory activities. The study used a two-stage analysis. In the first stage the non-radial slacks-based measure network model belonging to the Data Envelopment Analysis method, was used to estimate the efficiency of museums. In the second stage, a tobit regression was applied, to find the environmental factors that significantly affect this efficiency. The results of the study indicate that museums are characterized by a low overall average efficiency (0.205). On the one hand, this is mainly due to the poor efficiency of museums‘ activities in increasing the number of visitors and participants in events (0.175). On the other hand, the efficiency of the implementation of these activities is on average satisfactory (0.458). Over 58% of the surveyed museums are characterized by lower-than-average efficiency in both analysed areas. The overall efficiency of both areas is significantly positively influenced by the possibility of purchasing a ticket online. It has also been shown that ethnographic and anthropological museums are significantly less efficient compared to interdisciplinary museums. In addition, museums run by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage are significantly more efficient than museums run by various types of local governments.

The aim of this review was to present research work on the development of the Malmquist index (MI) in various aspects based on the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. The MI is one of the three methods of dynamic analysis and also the main one, as it is the most commonly used to measure productivity changes. However, over the years, from being a simple productivity index like the models within the DEA method, it has become a more complex and useful index as it has seen many developments and extensions. Modifications and developments of the MI have taken place in many directions. A review of MI studies from 1990 to 2025 shows that the authors considered various aspects of the MI: Alternative ways of decomposing, different ways of measuring, different types of efficiency, different nature of data and variables and network structure or combined dynamic analysis methods into a single framework. The direction of changes and modifications of the MI can be divided into three groups: Adapting DEA solutions within the MI, presenting new MI solutions without being inspired by the DEA method and combining two methods of dynamic analysis into one framework.

The aim of this review was to present research work on the development of the Malmquist index (MI) in various aspects based on the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. The MI is one of the three methods of dynamic analysis and also the main one, as it is the most commonly used to measure productivity changes. However, over the years, from being a simple productivity index like the models within the DEA method, it has become a more complex and useful index as it has seen many developments and extensions. Modifications and developments of the MI have taken place in many directions. A review of MI studies from 1990 to 2025 shows that the authors considered various aspects of the MI: Alternative ways of decomposing, different ways of measuring, different types of efficiency, different nature of data and variables and network structure or combined dynamic analysis methods into a single framework. The direction of changes and modifications of the MI can be divided into three groups: Adapting DEA solutions within the MI, presenting new MI solutions without being inspired by the DEA method and combining two methods of dynamic analysis into one framework.

Objective: The aim of the research is to assess the research and development efficiency of the institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS) in 2019 and to identify external factors that have a significant impact on it. Research Design & Methods: A two-stage procedure in the field of DEA methodology was used. In the first stage, the efficiency of PAS institutes was estimated using alternative BCC and SBM models. In the second stage, a Tobit model was used to isolate external factors significantly influencing efficiency. Given the data available, two types of research and development (R&D) efficiency were analysed: publishing efficiency and combined publishing and implementation efficiency. Findings: A significant share of institutes are highly inefficient (nearly a half of the units in terms of publishing efficiency and a third in terms of combined efficiency). The fields in which a given scientific unit conducts research which significantly affect publication efficiency differ from those that significantly affect combined efficiency. Both types of efficiency are significantly negatively affected by the increase in the scientific category of the unit. Implications / Recommendations: The source of high research and development inefficiency among a significant number of institutes is the fact that they also generate other outputs than those considered in the work. The majority of institutes do not apply to the R&D sphere. The significant negative impact of the increase in the scientific category on R&D efficiency indicates that future focus should prioritise the quality of publications over their quantity. Contribution: The efficiency of the research and development activities of the PAS institutes was assessed after the introduction of the last reform of Poland’s system of science and higher education in 2018 (such studies have yet to be carried out). It is also important to use a two-stage approach within the DEA methodology in order to isolate external factors that significantly influence this efficiency.