To address limited comparative evidence on municipal sports funding, this thesis evaluates its relative efficiency in all 52 municipalities of Slovenia’s Osrednjeslovenska and Pomurska statistical regions. The aim is to identify efficient municipalities and opportunities for improvement.
Output-oriented data envelopment analysis (DEA) is applied. The main BCC model assumes variable returns to scale and links average current and capital expenditure on sport in 2023–2025 to the numbers of registered athletes, sports clubs and public sports facilities and areas in use in 2026. A CCR model with constant returns to scale assesses scale efficiency; an additional BCC model with current expenditure alone estimates potential output increases. Hypotheses are tested using the Mann–Whitney U test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient.
Twenty-one municipalities reach the main model’s efficient frontier; the overall mean efficiency score is 0.7692. Decreasing returns to scale are identified in 40 municipalities. Škofljica shows the greatest modelled potential for output expansion in the additional analysis. Pomurska municipalities have higher mean scores, but the regional difference is not statistically significant. Neither population size nor municipal development is significantly associated with efficiency; none of the three hypotheses is supported.
The findings provide a comparative basis for monitoring funding, identifying reference municipalities and examining local sports systems. Interpretation is constrained by the selected municipalities and indicators and the temporal mismatch between data. Model projections are not direct policy targets. Further research should cover multiple periods and incorporate infrastructure utilisation and quality.
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