Abstract
This paper investigates the problem of efficiency measurement for parallel systems with two components based on Stackelberg game theory, while some inputs/outputs are fuzzy numbers. Conventional DEA models treat DMUs as “Black Boxes”. While in this paper, we propose a new parallel fuzzy DEA model to calculate the efficiency scores for each DMU’s whole system and its sub-systems. Through the Stackelberg (leader–follower) game theory, the whole system’s efficiency score of each DMU is decomposed into a set of efficiency scores for its sub-systems. This approach is independent of the
α
-cut which reduces the computational efforts. In order to show our method, we use the data from Beasley (J Oper Res Soc 46(4):441–452, 1995) to measure the fuzzy efficiency of the teaching and research efficiencies of chemistry departments in UK universities.