Measuring efficiency of Peruvian universities: a stochastic frontier analysis

Orosco J.C.; Veiga H.; Wiper M.P. · Studies in Higher Education (2026) · DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2026.2662937

Resumen

In the last two decades, Latin American higher education systems have invested heavily in improving teaching and research quality, yet comparatively less is known about how efficiently public universities transform resources into educational and research outputs–particularly outside the region's largest systems. This study examines the efficiency of Peru's public universities from 2011 to 2023 using a multi-output stochastic frontier framework. We estimate a distance-function SFA model and decompose inefficiency into persistent (structural) and transient (managerial) components, allowing us to distinguish long-run institutional constraints from short-run performance gaps. The results indicate substantial heterogeneity in efficiency across institutions and over time. Institutional maturity and research output are positively associated with efficiency, while regional socioeconomic conditions are also strongly related to performance differences. We further provide evidence consistent with efficiency gains following Peru's 2014 higher education reform, with improvements emerging progressively in the years after implementation. By combining a multi-output frontier with a persistent–transient decomposition in a reforming system, the study extends empirical approaches to efficiency in higher education and offers policy-relevant insights for targeting capacity-building and resource allocation in emerging higher education systems.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina