prof.dr. J.L. (José) Zofio

José Zofio
Rotterdam School of Management (RSM)
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Visiting Member ERIM
Field: Logistics & Information Systems
Affiliated since 2017

I am Professor of Economics at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and former Chair of the Department of Economics (Economic Theory and Economic History). Currently, I am also visiting scholar at the Erasmus University, and fellow to the Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), where I collaborate with several scholars from the Rotterdam School of Management.

 

My research interests lay on the general field of Microeconomics. Particularly Economic Measurement (Index Numbers and Duality Theory), Productivity and Efficiency analysis (Data Envelopment Analysis and Stochastic Frontier Analysis), Economic Geography and Spatial Economics (New Economic Geography and New Trade Theory), Transport Economics (Infrastructure and Accessibility), and Cultural and Institutional Economics (Copyright industries). My applied research relates to the areas of Regional and Urban Economics, Environmental Economics and Industrial Organization, using both Operations Research (mathematical optimization) and Econometrics as empirical methods.

 

I have published over 30 papers in journals, led relevant national projects bringing together different universities, institutions and stakeholders, and am acting consultant to the European Commission (Joint Research Center), World Property Intellectual Organization (UN), and the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science.

Publications

Article (58)

  • Academic (58)

    • Guillen, M. D., Aparicio, J., Zofío, J. L., & España, V. J. (2024). Improving the predictive accuracy of production frontier models for efficiency measurement using machine learning: The LSB-MAFS method. Computers and Operations Research, 171, Article 106793. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2024.106793

    • Pastor, J. T., Zofío, J. L., Aparicio, J., & Alcaraz, J. (2024). The flexible reverse approach for decomposing economic inefficiency: With an application to Taiwanese banks. Economic Modelling, 139, Article 106804. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2024.106804

    • Barbosa, S., Sáiz, P., & Zofío, J. L. (2024). The emergence and historical evolution of innovation networks: On the factors promoting and hampering patent collaboration in technological lagging economies. Research Policy, 53(5), Article 104990. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2024.104990

    • Zofio, J. L., Aparicio, J., Barbero, J., & Zabala-Iturriagagoitia, J. M. (2024). Benchmarking performance through efficiency analysis trees: Improvement strategies for colombian higher education institutions. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 92, Article 101845. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seps.2024.101845

    • Pastor, J. T., Zofío, J. L., Aparicio, J., & Borrás, F. (2024). The standard reverse approach for decomposing economic inefficiency. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 75(4), 647-659. https://doi.org/10.1080/01605682.2023.2198556

    • Rey-Blanco, D., Zofío, J. L., & González-Arias, J. (2024). Improving hedonic housing price models by integrating optimal accessibility indices into regression and random forest analyses. Expert Systems with Applications, 235, Article 121059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2023.121059

    • Barbero, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2023). The measurement of profit, profitability, cost and revenue efficiency through data envelopment analysis: A comparison of models using BenchmarkingEconomicEfficiency.jl. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 89, Article 101656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seps.2023.101656

    • Pastor, J. T., Zofío, J. L., Aparicio, J., & Pastor, D. (2023). A general direct approach for decomposing profit inefficiency. Omega (United Kingdom), 119, Article 102889. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2023.102889

    • Zofio, J. L., Aparicio, J., Barbero, J., & Zabala-Iturriagagoitia, J. M. (2023). The influence of bottlenecks on innovation systems performance: Put the slowest climber first. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 193, Article 122607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122607

    • Aparicio, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2023). Decomposing profit change: Konüs, Bennet and Luenberger indicators. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 87, Article 101573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seps.2023.101573

    • Aparicio, J., Zofío, J. L., & Pastor, J. T. (2023). Decomposing Economic Efficiency into Technical and Allocative Components: An Essential Property. Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, 197(1), 98-129. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10957-023-02188-2

    • Gallego, N., Llano, C., & Zofío, J. L. (2023). Transportation gateways and trade: how accessibility to the border shapes the spatial concentration of commerce. Regional Studies, 57(3), 537-559. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2022.2094907

    • Kapelko, M., Oude Lansink, A., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). Endogenous Dynamic Inefficiency and Optimal Resource Allocation: An application to the European Dietetic Food Industry. European Journal of Operational Research, 303(3), 1444-1457. Article In press.

    • Bas, J., Zofío, J. L., Cirillo, C., Chen, H., & Rakha, H. A. (2022). Policy and industry implications of the potential market penetration of electric vehicles with eco-cooperative adaptive cruise control. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 164, 242-256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2022.08.007

    • Sáiz, P., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). The making and consolidation of the first national trademark system: the diffusion of trademarks across Spanish regions, 1850–1920. Regional Studies, 56(2), 256-275. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2021.1887472

    • Díaz-Lanchas, J., Zofío, J. L., & Llano, C. (2022). A trade hierarchy of cities based on transport cost thresholds. Regional Studies, 56(8), 1359-1376. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2021.1967922

    • Vidal‑Meliá, L., Arguedas, C., Camacho-Cuena, E., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). An Experimental Analysis of the Effects of Imperfect Compliance on Technology Adoption. Environmental and Resource Economics, 81(3), 425-451. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-021-00634-1

    • Balk, B., De Koster, R., Kaps, C., & Zofío, J. L. (2021). An Evaluation of Cross-Efficiency Methods: With an Application to Warehouse Performance. Applied Mathematics and Computation, 406, 126261. Article 126261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amc.2021.126261

    • Barbero, J., Zabala-Iturriagagoitia, JM., & Zofío, J. L. (2021). Is more always better? On the relevance of decreasing returns to scale on innovation. Technovation, 107, Article 102314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2021.102314

    • Zofío, J. L., González, J., Prieto, A., & Vicente, J. (2021). Modelling the spatial and sectoral benefits of productivity enhancing innovations using a transport oriented multiregional IO framework: the ‘megatruck’ in Spain. Economic Systems Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/09535314.2021.1951178

    • Aparicio, J., & Zofio, J. L. (2021). Economic Cross-Efficiency. Omega, 100, Article 102374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2020.102374

    • Balk, B., Barbero, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2020). A Toolbox for Calculating and Decomposing Total Factor Productivity Indices. Computers and Operations Research, 115, Article 104853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2019.104853

    • Alvarez, I., Barbero, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2020). A Data Envelopment Analysis Toolbox for MATLAB. Journal of Statistical Software, 95, 1-49. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v095.i03

    • Aparicio, J., Kapelko, M., & Zofío, J. L. (2020). The Measurement of Environmental Economic Inefficiency with Pollution-generating Technologies. Resource and Energy Economics, 62, Article 101185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reseneeco.2020.101185

    • Balk, B., & Zofío, J. L. (2020). Symmetric Decompositions of Cost Variation. European Journal of Operational Research, 185, 1189-1198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2020.02.034

    • Alvarez, I., Barbero, J., Rodríguez-Pose, A., & Zofío, J. L. (2018). Does institutional quality matter for trade? Institutional conditions in a sectoral trade framework. World Development, 106, 72-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.10.010

    • Barbero, J., Behrens, K., & Zofío, J. L. (2018). Industry location and wages: The role of market size and accessibility in trading networks. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 71, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2018.04.005

    • Edquist, C., Zabala-Iturriagagoitia, JM., Barbero, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2018). On the meaning of innovation performance: Is the synthetic indicator of the Innovation Union Scoreboard flawed? Research Evaluation, 27(3), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvy011

    • Gallego, N., & Zofío, J. L. (2018). Trade Openness, Transport Networks and the Spatial Location of Economic Activity. Networks and Spatial Economics, 18(1), 205-236. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11067-018-9394-1

    • Condeço-Melhorado, A., Zofío, J. L., & Christidis, P. (2017). Drivers of changes in Spanish accessibility for the 1960–2010 period. European Transport Research Review, 9(2), Article 19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12544-017-0229-9

    • Alvarez, I., Barbero, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2017). A panel data toolbox for MATLAB. Journal of Statistical Software, 76(6), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v076.i06

    • Aparicio, J., Pastor, JT., & Zofío, J. L. (2017). Revisiting the Decomposition of Cost Efficiency for Non-homothetic Technologies: A Directional Distance Function Approach. Journal of Productivity Analysis, 48(2/3), 133-146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11123-017-0512-8

    • Aparicio, J., Kapelko, M., Pastor, JT., Barbero, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2017). Testing the Consistency and Feasibility of the Standard Malmquist-Luenberger Index: Environmental Productivity in World Air Emissions. Journal of Environmental Management, 196, 148-160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.03.007

    • Aparicio, J., Pastor, JT., & Zofío, J. L. (2017). Evaluating productive performance: A new approach based on the product-mix problem consistent with Data Envelopment Analysis. Omega, 67, 134-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2016.04.007

    • Aparicio, J., Pastor, JT., & Zofío, J. L. (2017). Can Farrell's allocative efficiency be generalized by the directional distance function approach? European Journal of Operational Research, 257(1), 345-351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2016.08.007

    • Alvarez, I., Condeço-Melhorado, AM., Gutiérrez, J., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2016). Integrating network analysis and interregional trade to study the spatial impact of transport infrastructure using production functions. Regional Studies, 50(6), 996-1015. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2014.953472

    • Zofio Prieto, J., & Maroto, A. (2016). Accessibility gains and road transport infrastructure in Spain: A productivity approach based on the Malmquist index. Journal of Transport Geography, 52, 143-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2016.03.008

    • Alvarez, I., Barbero, J., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2016). A spatial autoregressive panel model to analyze road network spillovers on production. Transportation Research. Part A, Policy and Practice, 93, 83-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2016.08.018

    • Barbero, J., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2016). The multiregional core-periphery model: The role of the spatial topology. Networks and Spatial Economics, 16(2), 469-496. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11067-015-9285-7

    • Aparicio, J., Pastor, JT., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2015). How to properly decompose economic efficiency using technical and allocative criteria with non-homothetic DEA technologies. European Journal of Operational Research, 240(3), 882.

    • Prieto, AM., Zofio Prieto, J., & Alvarez, I. (2015). Cost economies, urban patterns and population density: The case of public infrastructure for basic utilities. Papers in Regional Science, 94(4), 795-816. https://doi.org/10.1111/pirs.12096

    • Álvarez, I. C., Prieto, Á. M., & Zofío, J. L. (2014). Cost Efficiency, Urban Patterns and Population Density When Providing Public Infrastructure: A Stochastic Frontier Approach. European Planning Studies, 22(6), 1235-1258. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2013.778957

    • Aparicio, J., Pastor, J. T., & Zofio, J. L. (2014). How to properly decompose economic efficiency using technical and allocative criteria with non-homothetic DEA technologies. European Journal of Operational Research, 240(3), 882-891. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2014.08.012

    • Zofio Prieto, J., Condeço-Melhorado, AM., Maroto, A., & Gutiérrez, J. (2014). Generalized transport costs and index numbers: A geographical analysis of economic and infrastructure fundamentals. Transportation Research. Part A, Policy and Practice, 67, 141-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2014.06.009

    • Aparicio, J., Pastor, JT., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2013). On The Inconsistency of the Malmquist-Luenberger Index. European Journal of Operational Research, 229, 738-743. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2013.03.031

    • Jiménez-Sáez, F., Zabala-Iturriagagoitia, J. M., & Zofío, J. L. (2013). Who leads research productivity growth? Guidelines for R&D policy-makers. Scientometrics, 94(1), 273-303. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-012-0763-0

    • Zofio Prieto, J., Aparicio, J., & Pastor, JT. (2013). The Directional Profit Efficiency Measure: On Why Profit Inefficiency is either Technical or Allocative. Journal of Productivity Analysis, 40, 247-266. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11123-012-0292-0

    • Jiménez-Sáez, F., Zabala-Iturriagagoitia, J. M., Zofío, J. L., & Castro-Martínez, E. (2011). Evaluating research efficiency within National R&D programmes. Research Policy, 40(2), 230-241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2010.10.005

    • Arguedas, C., Camacho-Cuena, E., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2010). Environmental Policy Instruments: Technology Adoption Incentives with Imperfect Compliance. Environmental and Resource Economics, 47(2), 261-274. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-010-9375-4

    • Cuesta, RA., Knox Lovell, CA., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2009). Environmental Efficiency Measurement with Translog Distance Functions. Ecological Economics, 68, 2232-2242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2009.02.001

    • Paramio, JL., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2008). Labor Market Duality and Leisure Industries in Spain: Quality of Life versus Standard of Living. The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 67(4), 683-717. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1536-7150.2008.00591.x

    • Prieto, AM., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2007). Network DEA Efficiency in Input-Output Models: With an Application to OECD Countries. European Journal of Operational Research, 178, 292-304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2006.01.015

    • Zofio Prieto, J. (2007). Malmquist Productivity Index Decompositions: A Unifying Framework. Applied Economics, 39, 2371-2387. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036840600606260

    • Zofio Prieto, J., & Prieto, AM. (2006). Return to Dollar, Generalized Distance Function and the Fisher Productivity Index. Spanish Economic Review = Revista Espanola de Economia, 8, 113-138. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10108-006-9004-0

    • Cuesta, RA., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2005). Hyperbolic Efficiency and Parametric Distance Functions: With Application to Spanish Savings Banks. Journal of Productivity Analysis, 24, 31-48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11123-005-3039-3

    • Prieto, AM., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2001). Evaluating Effectiveness in Public Provision of Infrastructure and Equipment: The Case of Spanish Municipalities. Journal of Productivity Analysis, 15, 41-58. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026595807015

    • Zofio Prieto, J., & Knox Lovell, CA. (2001). Graph Efficiency and Productivity Measures: An Application to U.S. Agriculture. Applied Economics, 33, 1433-1442. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036840010009865

    • Zofio Prieto, J., & Prieto, AM. (2001). Environmental Efficiency and Regulatory Standards: The Case of CO2 Emissions from OECD countries. Resource and Energy Economics, 23(1), 68-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0928-7655(00)00030-0

Book (1)

  • Academic (1)

    • Pastor, J. T., Aparicio, J., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2022). Benchmarking Economic Efficiency: Technical and Allocative Fundamentals. Springer. International Series in Operations Research & Management Science Vol. 315 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84397-7

Chapter (17)

  • Academic (17)

    • Pastor, J. T., Aparicio, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). The Weighted Additive Distance Function (WADF): Economic Inefficiency Decompositions. In International Series in Operations Research and Management Science (pp. 245-278). Kluwer/Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84397-7_6

    • Pastor, J. T., Aparicio, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). The Russell Measures: Economic Inefficiency Decompositions. In International Series in Operations Research and Management Science (pp. 215-244). Kluwer/Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84397-7_5

    • Pastor, J. T., Aparicio, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). Shephard’s Input and Output Distance Functions: Cost and Revenue Efficiency Decompositions. In International Series in Operations Research and Management Science (pp. 115-166). Kluwer/Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84397-7_3

    • Pastor, J. T., Aparicio, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). The Reverse Directional Distance Function (RDDF): Economic Inefficiency Decompositions. In International Series in Operations Research and Management Science (pp. 433-483). Kluwer/Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84397-7_12

    • Pastor, J. T., Aparicio, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). The Hölder Distance Functions: Economic Inefficiency Decompositions. In International Series in Operations Research and Management Science (pp. 355-397). Kluwer/Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84397-7_9

    • Pastor, J. T., Aparicio, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). The Modified Directional Distance Function (MDDF): Economic Inefficiency Decompositions. In International Series in Operations Research and Management Science (pp. 415-431). Kluwer/Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84397-7_11

    • Pastor, J. T., Aparicio, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). Conceptual Background: Firms’ Objectives, Decision Variables, and Economic Efficiency. In International Series in Operations Research and Management Science (pp. 19-111). Kluwer/Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84397-7_2

    • Pastor, J. T., Aparicio, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). The Enhanced Russell Graph Measure (ERG=SBM): Economic Inefficiency Decompositions. In International Series in Operations Research and Management Science (pp. 279-310). Kluwer/Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84397-7_7

    • Pastor, J. T., Aparicio, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). The Generalized Distance Function (GDF): Profitability Efficiency Decomposition. In International Series in Operations Research and Management Science (pp. 167-212). Kluwer/Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84397-7_4

    • Pastor, J. T., Aparicio, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). The Directional Distance Function (DDF): Economic Inefficiency Decompositions. In International Series in Operations Research and Management Science (pp. 311-354). Kluwer/Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84397-7_8

    • Pastor, J. T., Aparicio, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). The Loss Distance Function: Economic Inefficiency Decompositions. In International Series in Operations Research and Management Science (pp. 399-414). Kluwer/Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84397-7_10

    • Pastor, J. T., Aparicio, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). A Final Overview: Economic Efficiency Models and Properties. In International Series in Operations Research and Management Science (pp. 605-617). Kluwer/Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84397-7_14

    • Pastor, J. T., Aparicio, J., & Zofío, J. L. (2022). A Unifying Framework for Decomposing Economic Inefficiency: The General Direct Approach and the Reverse Approaches. In International Series in Operations Research and Management Science (pp. 487-604). Kluwer/Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84397-7_13

    • Esteve, M., Aparicio, J., Rodriguez-Sala, J. J., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2021). The estimation of productive efficiency through machine learning techniques: Efficiency Analysis Trees. In J. Zhu, & V. Charles (Eds.), International Series in Operations Research and Management Science (Vol. 312, pp. 51-92). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75162-3_3

    • Aparicio, J., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2020). New Definitions of Economic Cross-Efficiency. In J. Aparicio, C. A. Knox Lovell, J. Pastor, & J. Zhu (Eds.), Advances in Efficiency and Productivity II Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41618-8_2

    • Orea, L., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2019). Common methodological choices in non-parametric and parametric analyses of firms’ performance. In W. H. William H. Greene, & T. ten Raa (Eds.), Palgrave Handbook of Economic Performance Analysis (pp. 419-484). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23727-1_12

    • Aparicio, J., Pastor, JT., Borras, F., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2016). Loss Distance Functions and Profit Function: General Duality Results. In J. Aparicio, C. A. Knox Lovell, & J. T. Pastor (Eds.), Advances in Efficiency and Productivity Springer-Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/798-3-319-48461-8_4

Review article (1)

  • Academic (1)

    • García, M. I., Fernández, Y., & Zofío, J. L. (2003). The economic dimension of the Culture and Leisure Industry in Spain: National, sectoral and regional analysis. Journal of Cultural Economics, 27(1), 9-30. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021525019776

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Latest publication

Article

Guillen, M. D., Aparicio, J., Zofío, J. L., & España, V. J. (2024). Improving the predictive accuracy of production frontier models for efficiency measurement using machine learning: The LSB-MAFS method. Computers and Operations Research, 171, Article 106793. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2024.106793