Prof. Bert Balk

Professor emeritus, Economic Measurement and Economic-Statistical Research

Department of Technology and Operations Management

Rotterdam School of Management (RSM)

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Profile

Prof. Dr. Bert M. Balk held a chair in business administration, in particular the measurement of price, quantity, and productvity changes and economic-statististical research, at Rotterdam School of Management, from 2001 to 2011. This chair was supported by Statistics Netherlands, where Prof. Balk worked in various positions from 1973 to 2011. A.o. he was deputy head of the Department for Price Statistics and director of the Center for Research of Enterprise Microdata (Cerem). His research interests include measurement in economics, in particular index number theory and productivity measurement. He has published a large number of articles in academic journals, has written two books, and has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Productivity Analysis and Statistica Neerlandica.

Publications

Article (32)

Academic (30)
- Balk, B., De Koster, R., Kaps, C., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2021). An Evaluation of Cross-Efficiency Methods: With an Application to Warehouse Performance. Applied Mathematics and Computation, 406, 126261. [126261]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amc.2021.126261
- Balk, B., Rambaldi, A. N., & Rao, D. S. P. (2020). ’Macro-economic Measures for a Globalised World: Global Growth and Inflation. Macroeconomic Dynamics. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1365100520000152
- Balk, B., Barbero, J., & Zofio Prieto, J. (2020). A Toolbox for Calculating and Decomposing Total Factor Productivity Indices. Computers and Operations Research, 115, [104853]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2019.104853
- Balk, B. (2019). A novel decomposition of aggregate total factor productivity change. Journal of Productivity Analysis, 53, 95-105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11123-019-00548-7
- Balk, B. (2018). Profit-oriented productivity change: A comment. Omega, 78, 176-178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2017.06.011
- Balk, B. (2016). Various approaches to the aggregation of economic productivity indices. Pacific Economic Review, 21(4), 445-463. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0106.12192
- Balk, B., & Dumagan, J. C. (2016). Dissecting aggregate output and labour productivity change: a postscript on the role of relative prices. Journal of Productivity Analysis, 45(1), 117-119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11123-015-0433-3
- Balk, B., Fare, R., & Karagiannis, G. (2015). On directional scale elasticities. Journal of Productivity Analysis, 43(1), 99-104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11123-014-0399-6
- Balk, B. (2014). Measuring and relating aggregate and subaggregate total factor productivity change without neoclassical assumptions. Statistica Neerlandica, 69(1), 21-48. https://doi.org/10.1111/stan.12045
- Balk, B. (2013). Dissecting aggregate output and labour productivity change. Journal of Productivity Analysis, 42(1), 35-42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11123-013-0359-6
- Balk, B. (2011). Imputing output prices for non-market production units: a comment. Journal of Productivity Analysis, 37(3), 231-232. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11123-011-0258-7
- Koster, R., Stam, D., & Balk, B. (2011). Accidents happen: The influence of safety-specific transformational leadership, safety consciousness, and hazard recucing systems on warehouse accidents. Journal of Operations Management, 29(7-8), 753-765. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2011.06.005
- Balk, B. (2011). Measuring and decomposing capital input cost. Review of Income and Wealth, 57(3), 490-512. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4991.2010.00435.x
- Balk, B. (2010). An assumption-free framework for measuring productivity change. The Review of Income and Wealth, 52(Special issue 1), S224-S256.
- Balk, B. (2010). Lowe and Cobb-Douglas Consumer Price Indices and their Substitution Bias. Jahrbucher fur Nationalokonomie und Statistik, 230(6), 726-740.
- Koster, R., Balk, B., & van Nus, WTI. (2009). On using DEA for benchmarking container terminals. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 29(11), 1140-1155. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443570911000168
- Balk, B. (2009). On the relation between gross-output and value-added based productivity measures: The importance of the Domar factor. Macroeconomic Dynamics, 13(S2), 241-267. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1365100509090130
- Balk, B. (2008). Searching for the Holy Grail of Index Number Theory. Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, 33(1), 19-25.
- Balk, B. (2008). Commentary. Journal of Productivity Analysis, 30(1), 61-61.
- Balk, B., & Reich, UP. (2008). Additivity of National Accounts reconsidered. Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, 33(2/3), 165-178.
- Balk, B., Fare, R., Grosskopf, S., & Margaritis, D. (2008). Exact relations between Luenberger productivity indicators and Malmquist productivity indexes. Economic Theory, 35(1), 187-190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00199-007-0228-5
- Koster, R., & Balk, B. (2008). Benchmarking and monitoring international warehouse operations in Europe. Production and Operations Management, 17(2), 175-183. https://doi.org/10.3401/poms.1080.0013
- Balk, B. (2005). Price Indexes for Elementary Aggregates: The Sampling Approach. Journal of Official Statistics, 21(4), 675-699.
- Balk, B. (2005). Divisia Price and Quantity Indices: 80 Years After. Statistica Neerlandica, 59(2), 119-158. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9574.2005.00284.x
- Balk, B. (2004). Decompositions of Fisher Indexes. Economics Letters, 82(1), 107-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2003.09.006
- Balk, B., Fare, R., & Grosskopf, S. (2004). The theory of economic price and quantity indicators. Economic Theory, 23(1), 149-164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00199-003-0364-5
- Balk, B. (2003). Ideal Indices and Indicators for Two or More Factors. Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, 28(4), 203-217.
- Balk, B. (2003). The Residual: On Monitoring and Benchmarking Firms, Industries, and Economies with Respect to Productivity. Journal of Productivity Analysis, 20(1), 5-47. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024817024364
- Balk, B., & Diewert, WE. (2001). A characterization of the Tornqvist price index. Economics Letters, 72(3), 279-281.
- Balk, B. (2001). Scale efficiency and productivity change. Journal of Productivity Analysis, 15(3), 159-183.
Professional (2)
- Koster, R., Stam, D., & Balk, B. (2011). Accidents will happen: do hazard-reducing systems help? RSM Insight, 5(1), 8-11. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/39944
- Koster, R., Stam, D., & Balk, B. (2011). Accidents will happen: Do hazard-reducing systems help? Logistics and Transport, 1(12), 63-66.

Book (1)

Academic (1)
- Balk, B. (2008). Price and Quantity Index Numbers: Models for Measuring Aggregate Change and Difference. Cambridge University Press.

Chapter (8)

Academic (8)
- Balk, B. M. (2021). A Framework Without Assumptions. In Contributions to Economics (pp. 9-64). Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.. Contributions to Economics https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75448-8_2
- Balk, B. (2018). Empirical productivity indices and indicators. In E. Grifell-Tatjé, C. A. K. Lovell, & R. C. Sickles (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Productivity Analysis (pp. 77-119). Oxford University Press. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/116399
- Balk, B. (2016). A Review of Index Number Theory. In Wiley StatsRef: Statistics Reference Online John Wiley & Sons Inc.. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118445112.stat07880/full
- Balk, B. (2016). The dynamics of productivity change: a review of the bottom-up approach. In W. H. Greene et al. (Ed.), Productivity and Efficiency Analysis (pp. 15-49). Springer. Proceedings in Business and Economics
- Balk, B., Haan, J., & Boldsen Hansen, C. (2010). Retrospective approximations of superlative price indexes for years where expenditure data is unavailable. In L. Biggeri, & G. Ferrari (Eds.), Price Indexes in Time and Space - Methods and Practice Physica-Verlag, Springer.
- Balk, B. (2009). Aggregation methods in international comparisons: An evaluation. In D. S. P. Rao (Ed.), Purchasing Power Parities of Currencies: Recent Advances in Methods and Applications Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Balk, B. (2008). Measuring and Decomposing Productivity Change: The Basics. In J. L. T. Blank, & V. G. Valdmanis (Eds.), Evaluating Hospital Policy and Performance: Contributions from Hospital Policy and Productivity Research (Vol. 18, pp. 13-32). Elsevier JAI Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0731-2199(07)00002-7
- Balk, B., Brannlund, R., Fare, R., Grosskopf, S., & Lindmark, M. (2006). Environmental Performance in Swedish Manuafacturing. In T. Aronsson e.a. (Ed.), The Theory and Practice of Environmental and Resource Economics (pp. 287-306). Edward Elgar Publishing.

Conference proceeding (3)

Academic (3)
- Balk, B. (2018). Aggregate productivity and productivity of the aggregate. In W. H. Greene, L. Khalaf, P. Makdissi, R. C. Sickles, M. Veall, & M-C. Voia (Eds.), Productivity and Inequality (pp. 119-141). Springer Nature.
- Koster, R., Balk, B., Davelaar, I., & Martens, M. (2010). Accidents will happen. Do safety systems improve warehouse safety performance? In K. Ellis, K. Gue, R. De Koster, R. Meller, B. Montreuil, & M. Ogle (Eds.), Progress in Material Handling Research: 2010 (pp. 49-60). Material Handling Institute.
- Koster, R., Balk, B., & van Nus, WTI. (2008). The applicability of data envelopment analysis to the benchmarking of container terminals. In K. Ellis, R. Meller, M. K. Ogle, B. A. Peters, G. D. Taylor, & J. Usher (Eds.), Progress in Material Handling Research: 2008 (pp. 81-94). The Material Handling Institute.

Inaugural speech (1)

Popular (1)
- Balk, B. (2001). The Residual: On Monitoring and Benchmarking Firms, Industries, and Economics with respect to Productivity. Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM). http://hdl.handle.net/1765/300

Report (2)

Academic (1)
- Balk, B. (2001). Aggegration Methods in International Comparisons: What Have We Learned? Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM). ERIM Report Series Research in Management (issn 1566-5283)
Professional (1)
- Balk, B., & Hoogenboom-Spijker, E. (2003). The Measurement and Decomposition of Productivity Change: Exercises on The Netherlands' Manuafacturing Sector. (Discussion paper 03001 ed.) Statistics Netherlands. Discussion paper Vol. 03001