Teleworking in Local Government Organizations in the post-Covid-19 era: the case of island municipalities in the North Aegean

This doctoral thesis investigates the institutional and operational integration of telework in Greek Local Government Organizations (LGOs) of the first and second tier, with a particular focus on the North Aegean Region and its insular context. Telework is approached not as a mere technological innovation but as a complex organizational change, shaped by administrative, social, cultural, technological and geographical factors. The main aim is to assess the extent to which telework can become a viable and permanent tool for public administration, while simultaneously contributing to territorial cohesion and the reduction of social inequalities in remote island areas. A mixed-methods approach is adopted, combining secondary data analysis (ELSTAT, EUROSTAT) with primary survey data from two structured questionnaires: one addressed to LGO employees (N=150) and one to citizens (N=226). Data were analysed using SPSS, employing descriptive statistics, difference tests, correlations, factor analysis and mediation analysis.Findings indicate that telework can enhance employees’ perceived productivity, provided that it is accompanied by reduced work-related stress, improved work–life balance, adequate technological infrastructure and technical support, and a supportive organizational culture and leadership. From the citizens’ perspective, a positive experience of remote digital service delivery—combining speed, ease of use, accessibility and quality of communication—is strongly associated with favourable attitudes towards telework, mainly through the bridging of geographical discontinuity and the strengthening of perceived administrative effectiveness. The study reveals an asymmetry of attitudes: citizens are clearly more positive than employees, highlighting the need to reinforce internal organizational readiness, staff training and communication within LGOs. Overall, the thesis concludes that the successful institutionalization of telework in local government depends not only on technological capacity but primarily on administrative culture, regulatory flexibility and the willingness of public organizations to employ telework as a lever for administrative resilience, social inclusion and territorial cohesion.