Analytics Framework for Comparing National Performance Achievements in International Mathematical Olympiads

Abstract

This study measures and analyzes the performances of the participating nations at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). A country’s success at the IMO is evaluated by the number of gold, silver, and bronze medals won. To measure and compare the performances of the countries, the data envelopment analysis approach is employed and all countries that have won at least one medal have been included in our dataset. As measures for the inputs, two macro-level determinants that can support the effort made by a country are considered: population size and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Our findings indicate a mean level of technical efficiency for the nations analyzed. The results suggest that, on average, the inefficient countries in the sample could achieve improved results by increasing the number of outputs produced while maintaining the same level of effort spent.