Contribution of research and development to the efficiency of social progress in latin america

Research and development, measured mainly by the production of patents, and by the investment of public expenditure in this sector, are recognized indicators that reflect the economic development of countries. This paper proposes to make a comparative analysis of the technical efficiency of some research and development factors in Latin American countries and their contribution to social progress. The data envelopment analysis method is applied to determine the comparative efficiency between countries and the contributions of inputs. As a result, the number of active researchers in the country and investment in research and development is the main inputs that contribute to maximizing social progress in Latin America