A Probabilistic Approach for Assessing the Significance of Contextual Variables in Nonparametric Frontier Models: an Application for Brazilian Banks

Abstract

This article presents an empirical application illustrating the use of a nonparametric frontier model relying on a probabilistic definition of the production frontier. The significance of the variable nonperforming loans in productive efficiency is assessed, for a sample of Brazilian banks, using the concepts of condicional and unconditional efficiency measures, in a context where it is not necessary to impose any particular distribution for the production data. The analysis is robust relative to the assumptions of separability.