Abstract:
In this novel paper, we make use of a non-parametric method known as Data Envelopment
Analysis (DEA) to analyse the 31 most infected countries during the first 100 days since the
outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus for the efficiency in containing the spread of the virus
– a question yet to be answered in the literature. Our model showed 12 of the 31 countries in
our sample were efficient and 19 inefficient in the use of resources to manage the flattening
of their COVID-19 contagion curves. Among the worst performers were some of the richest
countries in the world, Germany, Canada, the USA and Austria, with efficiency between 50
and 60 per cent - more inefficient than Italy, France and Belgium, who were some of those
hardest hit by the spread of the virus.
