ФУНКЦИИ И УПРАВЛЕНСКА ЗРЯЛОСТ НА ОБЛАСТНИТЕ АДМИНИСТРАЦИИ В БЪЛГАРИЯ
FUNCTIONS AND MANAGEMENT MATURITY OF REGIONAL ADMINISTRATIONS IN BULGARIA

Summary/Abstract: The report examines the functions of the regional governor in Bulgaria, regulated by the legal framework, and analyzes the management maturity of regional administrations in the context of the requirements for good governance. A historical review of the different rights and responsibilities of regional governors in the different territorial divisions of the country is made. The main goal is to present and use a new methodology for calculating a Composite Indicator of Management Maturity, built on six dimensions: strategic planning, results-based management, human resources management, interaction with other institutions, degree of digitalization and transparency of management. The results show a clear differentiation between regional administrations, with the values of the composite indicator ranging from 50.10 to 79.32 points. Leading positions are occupied by Sofia-city, Varna, Plovdiv and Burgas, while other administrations remain in the lower part of the distribution. It is found that 13 administrations fall into the “established” category and 15 into the “developing” category, with none reaching the threshold of “advanced” maturity. The dimension related to human resources management turns out to be the least developed. The validation of the model shows very high internal consistency and exceptional stability of the ranks under alternative weight configurations. This confirms that the indicator captures a stable latent characteristic of the overall management maturity. The study contributes with an analytical tool for the comparative assessment of regional administrations and outlines the need for policies aimed at reducing institutional asymmetries and strengthening the human resource capacity in the territorial administration. The results of the ranking of regional administrations by the levels of the Composite indicator of management maturity make it possible to identify areas in which some of them are leading, as well as those in which some administrations are lagging behind, and on this basis to make management decisions to modernize the relevant administrative structure.

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