Mexico: Total productivity changes at the principal container ports

Abstract

Port performance is commonly measured using partial productivity indicators obtained by relating an output to an input. To ascertain the overall productivity of a port, however, it is more helpful to employ the concept of total productivity, which considers all the inputs employed to obtain the totality of outputs. This factor has been measured using the Malmquist index, which gives the change in total factor productivity (TFP). The present study uses this index to determine the change in the TFP of the principal container ports in Mexico. According to the results obtained, productivity gains were greater at medium-sized terminals such as Progreso and Ensenada than at hubs such as Veracruz and Altamira, even though the latter are more efficient.