Diversity and integration strategic work – can a participatory approach to policy lead to social change?

Abstract: This degree project will include a document and discourse analysis on diversity and integration strategic work in the Falun municipality. Three steering documents will be evaluated regarding diversity in Falun municipality in relation to appropriate guidelines, as well as collected information from executive directors of administration regarding implementation of steering documents and of diversity and integration work, as well as evaluation material on the public health policy and other written material connected to the policies. The aim is to understand and evaluate the diversity and integration strategic work within Falun and Falu Municipality (both as geographical area/city and as the employer), understand if you can reach social change through the policies related to diversity and integration strategic work, and what role the citizen plays in that process. I aim to analyse and highlight the major findings and concluding with ideas for further research or development areas. The research question is; How are diversity and integration strategic work defined and communicated in Falun municipality through their policies and can a participatory approach to policy and policy-making lead to social change?The result show that steering documents – policies - somewhat works as the platform for strategic diversity and integration work in theory, but not in practice. National and international guidelines regarding the subject has proven to be used very well in the case of Local Public Health Program, but not as well in the Integration Policy Program or in the Plan for equal rights and possibilities 2012-2014. Collected information from executive directors of administration regarding implementation of the Integration Policy Program and implementation of diversity work, as well as evaluation material on the public health policy showed very little implementation, and very little participation from the executive directors, employees and the citizens, which raises questions regarding availability of the programs. In order for policy making to be successful executive directors, employees and citizens need to be participating in the policy-making process, as well as the implementation and evaluation. If not; policymaking is only by politicians, for politicians and therefor it will not reflect on the developing society as a whole.