Multiple criteria and multiple periods performance analysis: the comparison of telecommunications sectors in the Maghreb countries

In four Maghreb countries (Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia), a considerable improvement of the situation of the telecommunication operators has been noticed during the nineties. The evolution in these countries was very different depending on their economic policies, their effort of reorganization of their telecommunication sector and their technological change. Theses differences will be exhibited and analysed by comparing the operators' performances over a decade (1992-2001). A first approach is based on the Malmquist DEA TFP index for measuring the total factors productivity change, decomposed into technical efficiency change and technological changes. Second, using the Promethee II method and the software ARGOS, a multiple criteria analysis is performed, taking into account a larger scope of analysis. A main issue is that the general performance ranking of sets of operators by country is almost the same according to the two methods, although the variables of inputs and output used for the index of Malmquist are different and narrower in the considered scope than the chosen families of criteria used in method Promethee and software ARGOS. Both methods of analysis provide however complementary useful detailed information, especially in discriminating the technological and management progresses for Malmquist and the two dimensions of performance for Promethee: that are the service to the community and the enterprises performances, often in conflict.