Análisis de la eficiencia técnica de unidades catastrales en Colombia a través del análisis envolvente de datos

Abstract

This study analyzes the relative efficiency of twenty-two territorial offices of the IGAC over the period 2022–2024 using an output-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach. Technical efficiency is decomposed into pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency, allowing for a more precise identification of whether inefficiencies stem from internal management practices or from the scale of operations. Two model specifications are estimated: one using operating expenditures as the input and another based on total cadastral management expenditures. The results reveal substantial heterogeneity in the performance of the territorial offices, even though they all operate under the same regulatory and institutional framework. Efficiency is shown to depend not only on the level of expenditure executed, but also on how resources are organized and transformed into cadastral outputs. The decomposition of technical efficiency indicates that, in most cases, inefficiencies are primarily driven by internal management factors rather than scale-related issues, although both increasing and decreasing returns to scale are identified, suggesting opportunities for operational resizing in some offices. In a second stage, Algorithm 1 proposed by Simar and Wilson (2007) is applied to assess the impact of external factors on efficiency. The results indicate that variables such as distance to the IGAC headquarters, gross domestic product, population size, and territorial area do not systematically affect either pure technical efficiency or scale efficiency. This suggests that the observed differences in performance are mainly explained by internal organizational factors. Overall, the findings confirm that efficiency in cadastral management is not achieved solely through higher levels of expenditure, but rather through an appropriate combination of resources, internal organization, and scale of operations. In this regard, technical efficiency emerges as a necessary complement to traditional indicators of budget execution and target achievement, providing a more comprehensive perspective on institutional performance and relevant empirical evidence for Colombian public administration.