Assessing the Digital Readiness of Greek Municipalities: A Cluster Analysis and ANOVA-Based Classification Framework
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- The digital transformation of local government has become a strategic priority for improving transparency, service delivery, citizen participation, and administrative efficiency. Despite significant investments in digital governance, considerable differences remain in the level of digital readiness among Greek municipalities. This study evaluates the digital readiness of 80 Greek municipalities using a multidimensional assessment framework based on four key dimensions: (i) Content, Accessibility and Transparency, (ii) Citizen Participation and Engagement, (iii) Digital Services, Technology and Innovation, and (iv) Digital Governance and Digital Transformation Maturity. Municipalities were evaluated using standardized indicator scores, and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (Ward's method with Euclidean distance) was employed to identify groups of municipalities with similar digital profiles. The optimal number of clusters was determined using the elbow criterion, resulting in four distinct categories representing successive levels of digital maturity: Digital Leaders, Developing Municipalities, Emerging Municipalities, and Digital Laggards. To statistically validate the classification, one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was performed for each dimension and for the overall digital readiness index. The results revealed statistically significant differences among the four clusters across all dimensions (p < 0.001), confirming that the identified groups represent distinct levels of digital development rather than random variation. The findings highlight the existence of a pronounced digital divide among Greek municipalities while revealing a gradual pathway of digital transformation from low to high digital maturity. The proposed typology provides a comprehensive framework for benchmarking municipal digital readiness and offers practical guidance for policymakers to design targeted interventions, allocate resources more effectively, and support evidence-based digital transformation strategies tailored to the specific needs of different groups of municipalities.