This study evaluates the efficiency of regional environmental education centers in Korea from 2021 to 2023, following the implementation of the Environmental Education Act. Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist Productivity Index (MP...
This study evaluates the efficiency of regional environmental education centers in Korea from 2021 to 2023, following the implementation of the Environmental Education Act. Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI), the study reveals that private institutions showed higher relative efficiency, while public institutions demonstrated better productivity growth over time. Centers in provincial areas outperformed those in metropolitan areas, and centers offering more educational programs were generally more efficient, though some were negatively affected by external factors.
The study recommends support measures from the Ministry of Environment to alleviate local government burdens, the development of quantitative evaluation indicators, and a reassessment of the centers’ hierarchical structure. Future research should focus on long-term monitoring and analyzing external factors to enhance the centers’ sustainability and effectiveness.