The Efficiency of Education Expenditure in Latin America and Lessons for Colombia

This paper appraises quantitatively the efficiency of public expenditure of 15 Latin American countries using cross-country data for averages between 2000 and 2009. For this purpose two non-parametric methods are used: Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Free Disposal Hull (FDH). Selected output indicators in primary and secondary school are evaluated respect to public spending in education per student. As a study case, Colombia’s efficiency scores are compared with the most efficient peers in each of the educational levels to identify best practices and achieve better results.