This study examines how fundamental public administration principles are presented and emphasized by Swedish government agency websites. The analysis focuses on five agencies: the Swedish Police Authority, the Swedish Armed Forces, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, the Swedish Public Employment Service, and the Swedish Transport Administration. Purpose of the study is to analyze similarities and differences in how principles such as democracy, legality, objectivity, freedom of opinion, respect, efficiency and service are communicated on their websites and try to explain these patterns using institutional theory.  This study uses a qualitative content analysis to study publicly available information agency websites. The analytical framework is based on three institutional perspectives: symbolic adaptation, institutional isomorphism, and the logic of appropriateness. The principles were operationalized into assessment criteria and systematically compared across the five agency websites.  

The results show that all agencies refer to core democratic principles, but the leer of emphasis and degree of elaboration vary. Variation could suggest elements of ceremonial adaptation, where principles may be highlighted symbolically to ensure both formal legitimacy and legitimacy through organizational norms and values. At the same time, some similarities between agencies could also indicate institutional isomorphism, particularly normative pressures, which are linked to shared professional norms and common value frameworks. Differences in emphasis could also partly be explained by varying organizational structures and political mandates. Furthermore, the logic of appropriateness is applied to explain why information related to certain principles are prioritized and shown more frequently, if agencies tend to frame principles as “appropriate” in relation to their identity, mission and societal role. Overall, the study demonstrates that the presentation of public administration principles could be shaped by a combination of institutional pressures, symbolic consideration, and organizational identity. These findings hopefully contribute to an understanding of how legitimacy could be constructed through information on public sector websites.