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Producing success: a critical analysis of athlete development governance in six countries
Citation
Barker-Ruchti, N and Schubring, A and Aarresola, O and Kerr, R and Grahn, K and McMahon, J, Producing success: a critical analysis of athlete development governance in six countries, International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 10, (2) pp. 215-234. ISSN 1940-6940 (2018) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis
DOI: doi:10.1080/19406940.2017.1348381
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to analyse and compete athlete development governance in Australia, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, and Switzerland. A Foucauldian framework was used to theorise athlete development governance as shaped by and based on distinct ‘government mentalities’ and ‘modes of governance’. Qualitative procedures were used to collect and analyse 58 documents related to the six countries’ athlete development governance and conduct 14 informal interviews with national elite sport system experts. Our results confirm other scholars’ findings that sport governance is moving towards managerialist government mentalities. Specific modes of governance that are being implemented to systematise athlete development include targeted forms of funding and the modelling of athlete development. However, the results also highlight how athlete development governance is a site of negotiation, arising from a) historical events, b) socio-political contexts, c) financial conditions, d) government mentalities, and e) sport science knowledge. Our examination demonstrates how this problematises athlete development governance, but also allows for distinctive local athlete development government discursivities and/or sport-specific adjustments. These include less results-driven and more holistic interpretations of athlete development. We conclude by outlining implications, which intend to support stakeholders’ (e.g. coaches’, sport directors’) engagement in conceptualising, implementing and/or revising athlete development frameworks.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | high-performance/elite sport systems, sport governance, governmentality, athlete development models |
| Research Division: | Language, Communication and Culture |
| Research Group: | Cultural studies |
| Research Field: | Arts and cultural policy |
| Objective Division: | Education and Training |
| Objective Group: | Schools and learning environments |
| Objective Field: | Equity and access to education |
| UTAS Author: | McMahon, J (Associate Professor Jennifer McMahon) |
| ID Code: | 117167 |
| Year Published: | 2018 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 12 |
| Deposited By: | Education |
| Deposited On: | 2017-06-01 |
| Last Modified: | 2022-08-26 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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