بهره وری هزینه در صنعت بانکداری و اروپایی گرایی یکجانبه: یک رویکرد مرزی تصادفی در صربستان و مونته نگرو

This paper aims at investigating the differences in cost efficiency of the banking industry in Serbia and Montenegro over the period 2005–2012. These two countries operated under a common monetary regime until 1999 and followed two different monetary regimes thereafter: unilateral euroisation in Montenegro and monetary independence in Serbia. A stochastic frontier approach incorporating bank-specific and country-related variables is used to analyze cost efficiency in the banking sectors of Serbia and Montenegro. The analysis shows that a bank operating at given conditions in terms of ownership, market and other specific characteristics presents significantly higher cost efficiency if it operates in Montenegro rather than in Serbia. We argue that this result may relate to the choice of unilateral euroisation made by Montenegro. It is also shown that foreign-owned banks, higher capitalized banks and banks with lower non-performing loans operate at higher cost efficiency.