The framework selected 16 representative provinces from 77 using balanced additive weighting, then applied CCR two-stage DEA to benchmark transformations from investment, tourism and demographics through energy, factories and vehicles to GPP and air-quality indicators.
Key findings
- Screening prominence did not guarantee DEA-frontier performance, and overall and super-efficiency varied substantially, separating representativeness from benchmark strength.
Why this matters globally
The framework is adaptable to regional monitoring that combines economic and pollution indicators while making unit selection explicit.
Thai researcher contribution
Thai researchers from KMUTNB and Thammasat collaborated with an Italian partner on a full 77-province informatics method.
Limitations to consider
Reducing to 16 provinces may omit context. CCR assumes constant returns, and results depend on weights, orientation, undesirable-output treatment and data quality; newborns and pollution require careful conceptual justification.