The objective of this paper is to identify the most efficient healthcare systems in a sample of 17 EU Member States. According to the health system financing schemes, the selected countries belong to two main groups, Beveridge and Bismarck. The research includes five input variables describing the financial and human resources, the level of health infrastructure, the medical technology and the healthcare utilization. On the output side we analysed four measures that reflect the overall health status of the population and the effectiveness of prevention and emergency care. Using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method, the most efficient healthcare systems are found in Sweden, the UK and Romania. The constraints applied for all the indicators and scenarios lead to higher or lower inefficiency scores, the Beveridge group being on average more efficient than the Bismarck one.

The purpose of this research paper is to investigate and identify the factors which can support the development of one characteristic of smart cities, namely, the smart environment. More specifically, the main goal is to measure the extent to which air pollution may be reduced, taking as determinants several circular economy, fiscal, and environmental factors. The Ordinary Least Squares, the Fixed Effects, and Random Effects regression models using balanced panel data were employed, over the 2011–2019 period, for 28 European states. After rigorously studying the literature, 11 indicators with a predictable impact on the exposure to air pollution were kept. According to current analysis, the most effective methods of reducing air pollution are the use of renewable energy, the investments in educating the population to reduce pollution, the proper implementation of the circular economy, and the adoption of the most suitable policies by the European Union governments. Particular attention needs to be paid to factors such as carbon dioxide-generating activities, which are significantly increasing the air pollution. Another strong value is that of providing information on the assessment of ambient air quality, and on the promotion of appropriate policies to achieve two major objectives: well-being, and sustainable cities.

Abstract:The aim of this paper is to evaluate the efficiency and sustainability of some local publicly-provided services (social, educational, public utilities). We have measured the Romanian local administrations expenditures' efficiency in supplying public goods and services using the non-parametric model of data envelopment analysis. The appraisal of efficiency and sustainability is mandatory when studying the optimization of public sector costs born out of taxpayers' money and the increase in the quantity and quality of supplied services. The services we have selected for this article cover many aspects of citizens' life quality. We have processed data from 2011 for all 41 Romanian counties and the municipality of Bucharest. For each decision unit, we have established a technical score, either quantifying the efficiency of expenditures allocated for supplying a certain level of services or measuring results' sustainability in terms of services rendered to local collectivities, considering a constant expenditure level. Based on the analyzed data, we have concluded that only 11 counties satisfy the required conditions. Furthermore, units registering a lower level of per capita expenditures have efficiency scores above the overall average, while counties with more citizens/taxpayers provided more public services compared to others.

This paper assesses education sector’s efficiency by comparing 28 European Union states at different levels of education using the mathematic approach of data envelopment analysis. We conducted the study from both the allocative and technical perspectives by considering all education levels separately and then as a whole, every three years, starting with 2006. The input and output variables were adapted to each particular level of education. In this way, we offered a complete image of the education system, creating a ranking for the countries, based on efficiency scores. Efficiency appears to be achieved when education results, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment scores, attainment level or other value-added outcomes, are reached with rather low levels of financial resources. The performance in education lacks sustainability in many countries, mostly belonging to Mediterranean and south-eastern European groups, with old member states recording efficiency scores closer to 1 compared to the new ones. Inefficiency derived from different causes and interactions between these causes (the mixture between public and private resources, the different population composition, gross domestic product per capita or levels of education attainment) and most often imply particular solutions from country to country.

The objective of this study is to establish the extent to which several specific social and financial macroeconomic variables influence the density of the insurance market in Romania. By using multiple regression and ANOVA instruments within a period of 21 years (1997-2017), the results show a strong correlation between the average net salary, the unemployment rate, the enrolment ratio in education and the birth rate, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the density of the whole insurance market (life and non-life components). Results also reveal that the inflation rate does not seem to have a major impact on the analysed indicator.