New Publication: A robust conditional assessment of performance trends in education and training systems of European regions

This paper proposes a robust conditional approach based on a range directional ‘Benefit-of-the-Doubt’ (BoD) model to monitor the evolution of performance from 2020 to 2023 in the education and training systems of 200 European regions, including 180 at NUTS2 level. The methodological framework first establishes an ‘ideal’ performance point, representing the most ambitious level between empirically observed best practices and aspirational benchmarks identified by experts or policymakers. It then introduces an environmentally adjusted Malmquist Productivity Index specifically adapted to a BoD framework, enabling the analysis of temporal dynamics while disentangling performance changes from contextual influences. The results indicate that overall performance in Europe is improving, largely driven by productivity gains at the frontier. However, efficiency losses remain widespread, as many regions fail to converge towards best practices observed among comparable peers, even when operating under relatively favourable conditions.