Series
ISSN: 2601 – 2510 | e-ISSN: 2601 – 2529
2023, Volume 19: Global Ethics - Key of Sustainability (GEKOS 2022)
pages: 157-169| https://doi.org/10.18662/lumproc/gekos2022/13
The Development of
the Administrative
Capacity versus
Citizens` Opinion in
Romania
Otilia CHIRIŢĂ¹,
Raluca CĂLIN2,
George CĂLIN3
1 PhD Student, Doctoral School of
Economics II, Bucharest University of
Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania,
chirita.otilia@yahoo.com
* Corresponding author
2 PhD, Doctoral School of Economics II,
Bucharest University of Economic
Studies, Bucharest, Romania,
calin.raluca88@yahoo.com
3 PhD Student, Doctoral School of
Economics II, Bucharest University of
Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania,
calingeorge19@yahoo.com
©2023 Published by LUMEN Publishing. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Abstract: The public sector has a fundamental role in ensuring long-
term prosperity thus a deficient mechanism of public administration can
have a negative impact on unique market, innovation and investment
functioning.
In European states, actions were initiated and implemented meant to
stimulate the performance of the administrations. The way of public sector
capacity development differs for each state of European Union; some of
them are able to reconsider the basics of the administrative system, while
others are considering mechanisms for achieving and quantifying
performance in the public system.
The Romanian public administration is developing its entire capacity
with support of local and central institution, by developing and
implementing projects able to reduce bureaucracy and being a real support
for citizens.
In this context, quantifying the projects` results in comparison with
citizens` opinion represents a useful analyse which can offer a better
framework of public administration system development. The most recent
and relevant indicators which can be taken in consideration in order to
evaluate the administrative capacity are the digitalization systems created
in the last period and citizens ‘opinion about the progress in
administration by their last interaction with public institutions.
Thus, the main goal of this article was to evaluate the efficiency of EU
funds spending on projects with digitalization component versus citizens`
opinion about the improvement of administrative services.
Keywords: Management efficiency; digitalization; public administration
services; quality; citizens.
How to cite: Chiriţă, O., Călin, R., & Călin, G. (2023). The
Development of the Administrative Capacity versus
Citizens` Opinion in Romania. In A. Grigorescu & V. Radu
(vol. ed.), Lumen Proceedings: Vol. 19. Global Ethics - Key of
Sustainability (GEKOS 2022) (pp. 157-169). LUMEN
Publishing House.
https://doi.org/10.18662/lumproc/gekos2022/13
 Lumen Proceedings 19| International Conference GEKOS 2022

1. Introduction
The administrative capacity can be defined as the ability of the state
to participate to decision-making process, capable to deliver policy promises,
being the main key to demonstrate government performance. Having an
efficient administration able to optimally align resources with actions
indicates the state`s quality of government.
Furthermore, capacity construction involves designing and
implementing proper support able to deliver capabilities such as strategic
planning, management support, e-government, etc. Public administration
reforms represent the expectations and hopes of the future changes
(Hammershid et al., 2016).
In many recent reforms, there are two main trends in new public
governance, as planning management support and e-government.
Thus, public administration digitalization has been designed in order
to support the modernization of public sector to work seamlessly and across
boundaries having the final goal of providing high-quality services for all
citizens.
The elaboration of a realistic mechanism to ensure the quality of
services and to respond to the current trend of socio-economic and
technological changes, cannot be possible without efficient human resources
supported by clear and interconnected procedures.
In recent years, reforms have been initiated in EU Member States to
improve cost-effectiveness and efficiency in public administration.
Meanwhile, the opinion of citizens regarding the quality of
administrative services is not quite satisfying. The reasons for such an
evolution are difficult to explain due to the lack of a comparative analysis on
public policies, between countries.
However, according to Eurobarometer 2016, the quality of public
services is correlated with the level of trust in public administration.
The results of the Reform in European countries show progress in
terms of quality of services and equal treatment for all citizens. This is also
reflected in the opinion of citizens, according to a survey conducted in 2017.
On the other hand, according to the Eurobarometer there has not
been enough improvement in terms of partnership and network activities.
According to the European Commission's thematic factsheet on the
quality of public administration, "Member States that joined the EU after
2004 have carried out substantial administrative reforms as part of their
preparation for EU membership. These reforms have aimed at modernising
policy-making, improving effective coordination and creating a merit-based

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public administration capable of attracting and retaining well-qualified staff."

(European Commision, 2017).

Figure 1: Citizens` trust in public services

Source: author`s calculation based on data Eurostat (n.d.)

The multinational survey demonstrates that a high trust in public

system is registered mainly in developed countries.
Other sources are mentioning a decrease of 9 ppt from 55 to 46 for
the trust in financial institutions (United Nations, 2021).

2. Problem Statement
Trust in public institutions can be analyzed in various forms that can
vary from the institutional dimension to a personal one.
In other words, trust in the leading role actor is often associated with
trust in the institution that he leads and vice versa.
According to Radu ”a high level of trust generates expectations and
citizens` reliance on decision-makers is built progressively but can be quickly
destroyed by a single mistake, as well” (2020).
Meanwhile, Van de Walle and Bouckaert (2003) argue that quality
administrative services do not necessarily mean gaining the trust of the state.
A hypothesis generated on this idea supports the fact that citizens form
opinions independent of the state, which leads to the conclusion that the
quality of public services and the administrative performance are not the
only factors of citizens` satisfaction.
From a social point of view, effective measures of increasing citizens'
trust in public administration and its services involve the development of

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projects that lead to the development of social capital and the change of
cultural norms of society.
From an economic perspective, the state is the main agent of citizens
that can produce cooperation between the two parties or can lead to
polarization.
Brown (2020) analyses trust from the perspective of the relationships
that are formed, these being of a social or instrumental nature.
Social trust is based on social and emotional relationships and
instrumental trust refers to a direct interest. Also, from the perspective of
commitment, Brown (2020) distinguishes two types of trust: ”active trust in
which the parties consciously choose to establish a trusting and passive
relationship that is generated by habit and beliefs”.
Another form of trust, which refers to the internal relations within
public institutions is the relationship between subordinate and superior,
which Porumbescu et. al. (2013) define as ”vertical trust that influences both
the performance and motivation of subordinates at work”.
In the literature, have been identified various factors that influence
citizens' trust in public institutions (Aristovnik & Obadić, 2015). The
performance of public institutions is an important factor that determines the
satisfaction of citizens with the quality of services provided.
The quality services offered to citizens must be oriented to their
needs, to be accessible and easy to use. Also, the competence of civil
servants is an important indicator in determining the level of trust in public
institutions.
There are a number of factors that determine the relationship of
trust between public institutions and performance: citizens' expectations,
their attitude towards authority, but also the general image that a public
institution can have which spreads to the entire public sector. In other
words, in authoritarian systems, according to White & Fu (2012), ”there are
higher levels of trust in public institutions.”
The image that citizens form in relation to the performance of public
institutions is often influenced by the negative experiences of those around
them, following direct interaction with the state.
Another factor that shapes the opinion of citizens is the way in
which the media presents the performance of public institutions. Given the
factors that influence the perception of public institutions, it is difficult to
determine, however, what is the impact of performance on the trust of
citizens.
Yang & Holzen (2006) consider that improving the mechanisms for
measuring the impact of performance can be achieved by measuring
performance in services that are truly important to citizens, by involving

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citizens in how to measure performance and by taking into account factors

external to institutions.
Another factor is the legal framework for sanctioning corruption. A
coherent legal framework, able to ensure the proper functioning of public
institutions but also a conduct of the employed staff are aspects that
contribute to the increase of the level of trust of the citizens.
However, the results of the fight against corruption do not show a
direct impact on citizens' trust in state institutions. Under these conditions,
trust is formed around the system that ensures the proper functioning of
public institutions, and the acts of corruption registered in the system are the
factors that lead to the deterioration of citizens' trust in public institutions.
According to Djankov et al. (2002) analysis the corruption and the
gray economy has higher rates in the countries with strong regulations, but
with less quality of local products.
Another aspect that can influence the attitude of the citizens towards
the political life is the connection between the socio-economic state of the
individuals and the trust in the public administration. In other words, the
poorer the citizens are, the less likely it is that they will show low confidence
in state institutions.
At the same time, Christensen & Laegreiden (2005) showed that a
high level of education among citizens is correlated with high confidence in
public administration.
However, the research results are not valid for all societies. They are
applicable to countries where the majority of the population has a high level
of education. The influence of the majority speaks for itself in this situation
as well.
Another statistically significant relationship is between social status
and formal education, to which are added the demographic characteristics of
citizens and their preferred political ideology.
Public policies play an important role in establishing citizens' trust in
public institutions. In other words, the focus on social protection increases
citizens' confidence in public administration, as demonstrated by
Olofsdotter Stensöta & Bendz (2020).
Citizens' trust in public institutions is based on two important
mechanisms: the existence of an interdependent relationship between
citizens and state institutions and the assumption of responsibilities by a
person appointed to represent state institutions.

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3. Research Questions/Aims of the research

The development of administrative capacity in European Union
states, represents the premise of creating a modern public administration,
which would deliver an efficient and transparent management of the use of
resources, closer to the citizens.
The main objective of the study is to analyze the link between
efficient administration and citizens' perception of the quality of public
services provided.
The hypothesis underlying the study assumes that an efficient
administration increases the quality of public services and thus the
satisfaction of citizens in this area.
Thus, in Romania, the development of administrative capacity is
managed through the Operational Program Administrative Capacity
Development, which is structured on 3 Priority Axes and 7 Key Areas of
Intervention (KAI), as follows:
” Priority Axis 1:
• KAI 1.1 Improving political-administrative decision-making;
• KAI 1.2 Strengthen the accountability framework;
• KAI 1.3 Improve organizational effectiveness;
Priority Axis 2:
• KAI 2.1 Support for decentralization of services sector;
• KAI 2.2 Improving the quality and efficiency of service delivery;
Priority Axis 3:
• KAI 3.1 Support for implementation, overall management and
evaluation for OPACD and preparing the next programming exercise;
• KAI 3.2 Support for communication and promotional activities of
the OPACD” (Dobrotă & Vasilca, 2015).
In the study was applied a questionnaire with 10 items, on 200
subjects, in order to determine the degree of satisfaction of citizens onto the
quality of public services, in the context of developing administrative
capacity by developing information systems dedicated to citizens.
The latest projects capable of streamlining administrative activity and
providing quality services have in their component digitization activities
meant to increase the response to citizens' requests and, meanwhile, to
increase the degree of satisfaction with administrative services.
The digital transformation, the so-called "digitization", means more
than just the acquisition of new equipment and computer systems.
Digitization involves using the options offered by new technologies
to rethink all aspects of operational processes. For many EU countries,

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openness to digital transformation is essential in terms of productivity,

management practices, innovation, growth and better-paying (European
Commission, 2020)
In the period 2009-2015, in Romania, by The Operational Program
Administrative Capacity Development were implemented 301 projects with
a digitization component, which involves the creation of a system in order to
support bureaucracy reduction and increasing the quality of services
provided.

4. Research Methods
Spending funds level of efficiency in digitization area, represents a
relevant indicator in the analysis of the degree of satisfaction of the citizens
in connection with the evolution of the administrative management.
The calculation formula for determining the degree of efficiency is
written as follows:

GE = (Xx100)/[SUx(200 − y)], where:

x = assigned amounts;
SU = used amounts;
y = projects submitting level.

Table 1. The efficiency of funds` spending on projects with digital component

Source: authors` calculation based on Operational Programme Administrative Capacity

Development data

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Figure 2: Efficiency level of funds’ spending 2009-2015

Source: authors` based on Operational Program Administrative Capacity Development data
(SMART, 2019)

Also, in the study was applied a questionnaire with 10 items, on 200

subjects, in order to determine the degree of satisfaction of citizens onto the
quality of public services, in the context of developing administrative
capacity by developing information systems dedicated to citizens. The
subjects participating in the questionnaire are from 25-59 years age category,
with higher education, from the urban areas.

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Table 2 Citizens` opinion about quality of public services

Source: authors` based on data collected by survey.com

5. Findings
The results, from table no. 1 and figure no. 2, demonstrate a highly
efficient level of funds` spent on digitalization project in administrative
sector.
Except 2012, all the projects recorded an efficiency level over 1.
Also, the submitting level is over 85% which indicates not only a good

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absorption of resources, but also might quantify the progress in public

management capacity development.
Projects submitting level demonstrates that most of them were
implemented but that doesn`t mean that can be correlated with high quality
services for citizens. Effective and efficient management requires that the
activities financed have to be properly designed in order to be able to
respond to real needs. Also, the cost-benefit ratio in the use of funds can be
analyzed also in the perspective of citizens' satisfaction on quality of services
provided.
The application of the questionnaire showed that a significant
number of subjects use the electronic services of the public administration.
Regarding the results, more than half of the subjects believe that the systems
are not easy to use (Q2 – 56% hard), but nevertheless a significant equal
percentage of them consider them useful (Q3 – 54% useful).
Also, the questionnaire`s results, demonstrate that 80% of those
surveyed consider the digitalization of public administration an important
step in reducing bureaucracy and can lead to the increase of services quality
in the public administration, considering that the interaction with the
employees from the administration was evaluated as difficult (Q5 – 78%
difficult).
The values recorded in the items referring to the interaction with the
employees from the administration can be correlated with the values
obtained at the questions related to the improvement regarding the
performance in public administration, but also the way in which the subjects
prefer to interact with the public sector.
Also, 63% of them expressed the fact that they identify a progress in
terms of fast access to public services with the help of various platforms
dedicated to citizens.
But only 45% believe that investing in the development of
administrative capacity is efficient. This lower level can be correlated with
the degree of trust of the citizens in the public administration and its actors.
Therefore, it turns out that this category of citizens encourages the
development of administrative capacity through digitization, but through
friendly, easy-to-use system.

6. Discussions
The limits of the research, regarding the degree of efficiency of
funds` spending on projects with digital component, are that the analysis
was realized on the projects implemented in the 2007-2013 program period,
because the implementation of those projects is finalized at the time of the

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research. Regarding the 2014-2020 program period, between 2016-2021, by

the same Operational Program, were funded other 106 new projects for
local and central institutions, having a digital component, but only 18 of
them are finalized at this moment. Thus, the research could be resumed or
extended at the end of 2023, when all the 106 mentioned projects should be
finalized.
Regarding the survey analysis, the limits of the research are defined
by applying the questionnaire to a relatively small group of subjects but the
research can be extended to citizens in rural areas and to citizens over 60
years old, as well. The results obtained are predictable considering the profile
of the subjects, but significant for the age and area category of which they
are part of.

7. Conclusions
The development of administrative capacity and a high degree of
efficiency in using funds do not necessarily and significantly increase the
satisfaction of citizens about the quality of services provided, although
normally “sustainable consumption is closely linked to the term sustainable
development” (Boboc et al., 2015).
The performance measurement of any area might be ensured by
analyzing and comparing at least two involved parts which are direct
interested.
The development of public administration is a real challenge for
many states and it is proved that financial resources are not enough to
consider it an efficient development, without monitoring the final
”consumer”, who is in this case, the citizen.
Romanian public administration capacity had been developed
significantly in the last decade by generating new tools in order to manage
and monitor the efficiency in all activities by accessing European funds and
local budgets. The main vision of Romanian public administration is built on
gaining citizens’ trust by providing promptly services and insuring constant
on quality services.

In conclusion, “the relationship between public administration and

beneficiaries means dedication, correlation and orientation on solutions that
harmonize with the reforms in the social, cultural-educational, economic-
financial, justice and democracy reforms” (The Strategy of Public
Administration Strengthening 2014-2020).

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