A genuinely comparative analysis of sport policy -making in five countries - Australia, Canada, Ireland, the UK and North America. Focuses on issues such as drug abuse, government intervention and the provision of sport in schools.

Sport Policy: a comparative analysis of stability and change builds on the growing general interest in the comparative study of sport policy and the more specific interest in processes of policy change and issues associated with policy convergence. In stark contrast to many other areas of public policy such as education, personal welfare and health care there is a paucity of theoretically informed comparative studies in sport. Over recent years there has been a steady increase in public investment in sport and frequently, as a consequence, a sharper debate about how public resources should be used. However, there has been little analysis of the factors that shape the generation of domestic sport policy and little attempt to identify the variables that might influence the policy process. Sport Policy: a comparative analysis of stability and change provides a theoretically informed analysis of the sports systems in Canada, England, Germany and Norway. These economically advanced countries are carefully selected to enable the investigation of the significance of variables and because they share a number of socio-economic and sports-related characteristics, which provides the text with a unique breadth and depth of coverage. This text is a vital addition to the general paucity of literature in this area and is written by an internationally renowned author team.

Sport Policy and Governance: Local Perspectives is the first detailed study of the politics of sport policy at the local authority level of governance. In focusing on the local level, the book recognises that the extent to which we benefit from public policy is a result of where we live. Taking the city of Liverpool as its core case study, the author investigates the changing contours of sport policy from the inception of the service area in the 1970s through the economic and political turbulence of the 1980s to the year of European Capital of Culture 2008. As the book gives centre stage to the period since 1997, the changing parameters of local sport policy are located within New Labour priorities around elite sport development and the instrumental uses of sport to deliver social policy goals. Written in a clear and accessible style, this book: Traces the evolution of the relationship between central government policy priorities and local sport policy and practice. Provides a political analysis of sport policy that foregrounds competition between differing interests in a context of scarce resources. Explores relationships between local authority policy for sport and policy relating to education, health, land-use planning and community regeneration. Investigates the organisational and funding contexts in which sport policy actors formulate and implement policy Assesses the strategies utilised by sport policy actors in pursuing their interests. Theorises contemporary sport policy processes and establishes parameters for future research. Sport Policy and Governance: Local Perspectives is essential reading for anyone who is studying or teaching sport-related degree programmes, researching public policy, or who is a practitioner or policy-maker in the sport sector.

This book critically examines the roles and contributions of different organisations in the implementation of sport policy in the UK and, therefore, provides an important guide to the complexities of implementing sport policy and of achieving policy goals through, and for, sport. Presenting analytical chapters by leading sport researchers alongside shorter commentaries by practitioners working in the field, this book outlines the uneven path between policy planning and real-world outcomes. Adopting a multi-level analysis, this book examines the interlocking structures and challenges of organisations, from grassroots voluntary sport to national governing bodies and professional clubs, and considers the most important issues affecting UK sport policy today. This is fascinating reading for any student, researcher or practitioner working in sport policy, sport for development, sport management, sport coaching, physical education and related areas of policy such as public health, community development, social policy, public policy and education.

Acknowledging China’s established status as a global sporting superpower, this is the first book to systematically investigate sport policy in that country. With a focus on sport development in the most recent three decades, Sport Policy in China explores a wide range of topics in Chinese sport, including elite sport development, professional sports, major sports events, sport for all, the political context within which sport is interiorised and the distinctive sporting status of Hong Kong. It examines the debates around policy, globalisation, diplomacy and soft power, as well as the significance of the principle of ‘one country, two systems’. With international appeal, this book is a valuable resource for students and researchers in the fields of sport policy, sport management, sport development and sport sociology.

Since 1990, Britain has seen a period of unprecedented public investment in, and political commitment to, sport. This book provides an analysis that examines sport policy as a field of government and discusses how the various sectors have been affected by government and the competition for public resources.

Sport Policy and Development introduces the key themes in sport and social policy and provides students with a base for understanding the process of social policy creation more generally. Bringing a distinctively sociological perspective to the subject, the text provides a comprehensive analysis of the ways in which pro-sport policies are thought to influence the community and the individual.