This study utilized panel data and the stochastic frontier approach based on the Cobb–Douglas production function to estimate macro-level technical efficiency and economic openness as well as to identify the determinants of technical efficiency in South Asian countries over the period 1990 to 2019. Data are from the World Development Indicators of the World Bank and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. The results suggest a 10% technical inefficiency in the region. In addition, they show high efficiency with more foreign direct investment and openness in South Asian countries. The country-specific technical efficiency estimation indicates that Sri Lanka is the most technically efficient country, followed by India and Pakistan, whereas Bangladesh is the least technically efficient country. Furthermore, the study provides robust evidence for the positive effect of macroeconomic openness of foreign direct investment and trade on technical efficiency. The present study provides a future perspective on the country-specific economic strategies in South Asia. In addition, the findings provide important evidence on how macroeconomic policies can affect efficiency and steady growth by examining and identifying the factors that influence technical efficiency in the region. Additionally, the differences between the factors that influence technical efficiency in different countries are discussed by comparing the findings of this study with those of previous studies that have focused on economic openness. This paper presents a view on the status of macro-level technical efficiency. Furthermore, it explores the opportunities for foreign direct investment and export-oriented policies of South Asian countries, which would benefit these nations.

本研究利用面板数据和基于 Cobb-Douglas 生产函数的随机前沿方法来估计宏观层面的技术效率和经济开放度，并确定 1990 年至 2019 年期间南亚国家技术效率的决定因素。数据来自世界银行和联合国贸易和发展会议的世界发展指标。结果表明该地区有 10% 的技术效率低下。此外，它们表现出高效率，更多的外国直接投资和对南亚国家的开放。国别技术效率估算表明，斯里兰卡是技术效率最高的国家，其次是印度和巴基斯坦，而孟加拉国是技术效率最低的国家。此外，该研究为外国直接投资和贸易的宏观经济开放对技术效率的积极影响提供了有力的证据。本研究提供了对南亚国家特定经济战略的未来展望。此外，研究结果通过检查和确定影响该地区技术效率的因素，为宏观经济政策如何影响效率和稳定增长提供了重要证据。此外，通过将本研究的结果与以往关注经济开放的研究结果进行比较，讨论了不同国家影响技术效率的因素之间的差异。本文就宏观层面的技术效率现状提出了看法。此外，