In light of the reform of the Italian natural gas distribution introduced in 2007, this work performs a benchmarking and productivity analysis of distribution utilities, identifying the characteristics allowing greater efficiency. Using a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI), we analyse the performances of utilities and compares them in terms of size, ownership (public or private), and maturity (pre or post-liberalization establishment). The results show that the more efficient utilities are mainly publicly owned and pre-liberalization established. Small and medium-sized utilities operate less efficiently than large ones, revealing the scale inefficiency of the sector.

中文翻译：

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考虑规模、所有权和成熟度，对意大利天然气分配公用事业的效率进行基准测试


鉴于 2007 年意大利天然气分配改革，这项工作对分配公用事业进行了基准测试和生产力分析，确定了可提高效率的特征。我们使用数据包络分析 (DEA) 和马姆奎斯特生产力指数 (MPI)，分析公用事业公司的绩效，并在规模、所有权（公共或私人）和成熟度（自由化之前或之后）方面对它们进行比较。结果表明，效率较高的公用事业主要是公有制和自由化前建立的。中小型公用事业公司的运营效率低于大型公用事业公司，揭示了该行业的规模效率低下。