A Job Satisfaction Structural Equation Model Obtained Combining Rasch Analysis and Generalized Maximum Entropy Estimation

The objective of this paper is to describe and analyze with appropriate statistical models the links between the work quality latent factors using data from a recent Survey on the Italian Social Cooperatives known as ICSI2007. Due to the task complexity, the analysis is carry out by a two-step approach: In the first step we construct some multidimensional measures of the subjective quality of work, using the Nonlinear Principal Component Analysis (NPCA) and the Rasch Analysis with the Rating Scale Model (NPCA-RSM); In the second step we adopt a Structural Equation Model based on Generalized Maximum Entropy (SEM-GME) to integrate the measures achieved with the previous step and to evaluate the relationships between the subjective work quality latent factors. Therefore, the novelty aspects of this paper are the following: (i) The integration between the NPCA-RSM and SEM-GME, that allows the reduction of the variables analyzed and the evaluation of the measurement errors; (ii) The formalization of a job satisfaction model for the study of the relationships between the subjective work quality latent factors in the Italian social services sector