Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Beyond the Box We Built: Exploring Competency-Based Recruitment and Human Rights Policy Implementation in Malmö Municipality

Abdullahi, Muntaha Ali LU (2025) WPMM42 20251
School of Social Work
Department of Sociology
Sociology
Abstract
Policy implementation in large organisations can be viewed as a complex endeavour, especially concerning human rights and recruitment fairness. While Malmö municipality adopts a human rights policy, the challenge of translating these principles into daily operations, especially within the recruitment process, remains a critical area for research. This study analyses how HR-practitioners in Malmö municipality experience the implementation of the overarching human rights principles, and aims to uncover when they consider these principles and how they apply them in the recruitment process. Furthermore, the aim is to uncover what structural or organisational factors influence the implementation within the hiring process. Extensive research on... (More)
Policy implementation in large organisations can be viewed as a complex endeavour, especially concerning human rights and recruitment fairness. While Malmö municipality adopts a human rights policy, the challenge of translating these principles into daily operations, especially within the recruitment process, remains a critical area for research. This study analyses how HR-practitioners in Malmö municipality experience the implementation of the overarching human rights principles, and aims to uncover when they consider these principles and how they apply them in the recruitment process. Furthermore, the aim is to uncover what structural or organisational factors influence the implementation within the hiring process. Extensive research on institutional theory and challenges with policy implementation exists, however, specific qualitative insights into how HR-practitioners navigate human rights principles in the recruitment process are less common. Through in-depth interviews with five HR-practitioners and anonymous vignette responses, the collected data were transcribed and analysed for recurring patterns and themes. The theoretical framework applied draws upon institutional theory, three pillars of institutions, the concept of decoupling and the theory of street-level bureaucracy. The research findings reveal a tension between the adopted human rights policy and its full implementation, often leading to instances of decoupling. The participants emphasise the need for tangible guidelines and policy translations to bridge the gap and to ensure the practical application of the human rights policy. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Abdullahi, Muntaha Ali LU
supervisor
organization
course
WPMM42 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Recruitment, Malmö, Competency, Human Rights, Decoupling, Policy, Implementation
language
English
id
9205799
date added to LUP
2025-06-25 21:45:58
date last changed
2025-07-14 09:31:25
@misc{9205799,
  abstract     = {{Policy implementation in large organisations can be viewed as a complex endeavour, especially concerning human rights and recruitment fairness. While Malmö municipality adopts a human rights policy, the challenge of translating these principles into daily operations, especially within the recruitment process, remains a critical area for research. This study analyses how HR-practitioners in Malmö municipality experience the implementation of the overarching human rights principles, and aims to uncover when they consider these principles and how they apply them in the recruitment process. Furthermore, the aim is to uncover what structural or organisational factors influence the implementation within the hiring process. Extensive research on institutional theory and challenges with policy implementation exists, however, specific qualitative insights into how HR-practitioners navigate human rights principles in the recruitment process are less common. Through in-depth interviews with five HR-practitioners and anonymous vignette responses, the collected data were transcribed and analysed for recurring patterns and themes. The theoretical framework applied draws upon institutional theory, three pillars of institutions, the concept of decoupling and the theory of street-level bureaucracy. The research findings reveal a tension between the adopted human rights policy and its full implementation, often leading to instances of decoupling. The participants emphasise the need for tangible guidelines and policy translations to bridge the gap and to ensure the practical application of the human rights policy.}},
  author       = {{Abdullahi, Muntaha Ali}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Beyond the Box We Built: Exploring Competency-Based Recruitment and Human Rights Policy Implementation in Malmö Municipality}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}