Title: The Rise and Fall of an Online Project: Is Bureaucracy Killing Efficiency in Open Knowledge Production?

Authors: Nicolas Jullien (LUSSI-iSchool, ICI-M@rsouin, Télécom Bretagne), Kevin Crowston (School of Information Studies, Syracuse University), Felipe Ortega, Dept. Statistics andOperations Research (University Rey Juan Carlos)

Abstract: We evaluate the efficiency of an online knowledge production project and identify factors that affect efficiency. To assess efficiency, we used the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) modelling methodology. We apply DEA to data from more than 30 Wikipedia language projects over three years. We show that the main Wikipedia projects were indeed less efficient that smaller ones, an effect that can be attributed in part to decreasing returns to scale.

This contribution to OpenSym 2015 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2015 proceedings (or companion) on or after August 19, 2015.