EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS OF COURT EFFICIENCY: THE CASE OF FIRST INSTANCE COURTS IN NORTH MACEDONIA

Abstract

This paper explores the performance and efficiency of first instance courts in North Macedonia by assessing the key performance indicators: clearance rate and disposition time.

Our

work contributes to a better understanding of court efficiency in

North Macedonia by analyzing geographical disparities between

first-instance courts. The study encompasses data for 27 first-

instance courts organized into four groups based on which

appellate area they belong to. The analysis covers the period from

2015 to 2023. The primary goal of our study is to ascertain

whether a disparity exists in the efficiency of courts. Our empirical

strategy includes the utilization of the Kruskal-Wallis non-

parametric test; thus, we do not aim to explore which courts

exhibit superior or inferior performance. The results suggest that

both clearance rates and disposition time did not differ

substantially from 2015 to 2022 in civil cases. However, in 2023,

there were statistically significant differences among the observed

indicators. Concerning criminal cases, until 2021, the clearing

rates and disposition times did not significantly differ among

various court groups; however, findings from 2022 and 2023

revealed statistically significant disparities. We propose

conducting further research at a first-instance court level to

evaluate individual courts’ efficacy and determine the underlying

reasons for divergence of the key performance indicators between

the different appellate areas.