Transformations  in
Business & Economics

REGIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC RESOURCES AIMED AT ERADICATING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE⁸
Pilar Guaita-Fernandez, Jose Maria Martin Martin, Samuel Ribeiro Navarrete, Rosa Puertas

ABSTRACT: Society must exercise its rights and demand that public authorities provide the instruments needed to end the silence surrounding gender-based violence (GBV) and make it a focus of universal struggle. There is a widespread movement in all socioeconomic strata in favour of gender equality as a way to guarantee women's safety; however, there is still much to be done before victory can be declared. The aim of this research is to conduct an analysis of the implementation of national policies in the different Spanish regions during the decade 2013-2022. Data envelopment analysis and the Malmquist index are used to quantify the degree of success of the practices implemented by the different regional public authorities, as well as the progress that has been made in terms of productivity. Furthermore, this article sets out the path of action by which to achieve the desired improvements and expand protection for victims. The results show that the efficiency of public policies against GBV is independent of the geographical location and the wealth of the region; rather, it depends on the active commitment of those in charge, that is, on the appropriateness of the practices implemented to protect the victims. In the analysed period, it can be seen that the political leaders of the Spanish regions have introduced innovative improvements that have given rise to advances in productivity. In general, however, not enough care is taken to ensure the efficient use of available resources; indeed, it may even be possible to increase the number of GBV reports filed with fewer measures enacted.

KEYWORDS:  gender-based violence, public policies, efficiency, Malmquist index, management.

JEL classification:  C14, J12, J18, R19

⁸Acknowledgments:  Not applicable. Conflict of Interest. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.