Α pilot factor analysis model for the estimation of the indicators of administrative convergence in Greece

This paper aims to develop a statistical tool to identify the factors indicating administrative convergence in Greece, in order to provide an insight into the latent structure of bureaucracy in the country. Based on the state-of-the-art which suggest that "the indicators of administrative convergence aim mainly: reliability and predictability; transparency; responsibility; efficiency and effectiveness", the paper proposes a methodological framework to estimate the factors indicating administrative convergence, via the method of factor analysis, which is applied at three steps. The study is based on the questionnaire developed within the frame of the project European Administrative Space (EAS), via NSPSPA; UNIVERSITY OF THE AEGEAN; NEW BULGARIAN UNIVERSITY; UNIVERSITY OF RIJEKA; and EPLO (2010). That questionnaire was designed to include parts referring to the above-mentioned dimensions of administrative convergence. Three types of variables were included in that questionnaire: a) primary variables (corresponding to each questionnaire's part); b) secondary variables (referring to specific characteristics of the primary variables); c) characteristics of the secondary variables. The application for Greece is considered as pilot, as it is uses data collected from just 22 employees in public administration, during December 2010. The methodological approach is as follows: At the first step, the factor analysis performed for the characteristics of each secondary variable, resulted to the factors indicating that variable. The estimated values of the extracted factors were then considered as new variables. At step 2, a factor analysis of those new variables corresponding to the same primary variable was performed, resulting to the factors indicating that primary variable. Finally, the estimated scores of step 2, were factor analysed, resulting to the indicators in question.