WHEN SOCIAL INCLUSION MEETS OPERATIONAL DEMANDS: RECRUITMENT AND COMPETENCY CHALLENGES IN FOOD SECURITY POLICY IMPLEMENTATIONS

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the implementation of food security policies from a human resource management (HRM) perspective, emphasizing the link between HRM management practices and the effectiveness of policy implementation at the operational level. This study is motivated by the persistent gap between normative policy design and the reality of implementation on the ground, which is strongly suspected to be related to the quality and management of implementing human resources. The research focuses on recruitment practices, human capital investment through training and development, job fit, and their implications for the quality of policy implementation and public services. This study employed a qualitative approach, collecting data through in-depth interviews with various program implementing actors, including structural and operational staff. Data analysis was conducted using NVivo software, using open coding, thematic categorization, and visualization of inter-concept relationships in the form of project maps to systematically identify patterns of interrelationships between variables. The research results show that the implementation of food security policies still faces fundamental challenges in human resource management. These challenges include non-competency-based and informal recruitment practices, minimal investment in human capital, characterized by limited training and weak evaluation systems, and a high level of job fit mismatch between individual competencies and job demands. These conditions result in low adaptive capacity of human resources, increased workloads, and a decline in the quality of public services. Furthermore, research findings indicate that weaknesses in policy implementation are systemic and interconnected, with problems in recruitment, human resource development, and job placement forming a cycle that mutually reinforces and hinders the effectiveness of overall policy implementation. In this context, human resource management plays more than just an administrative function but also a determining factor in the success or failure of public policy implementation.