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Sport and the Sustainable Development Goals: Where is the policy coherence?

Lindsey, I.; Darby, P.

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Authors

P. Darby



Abstract

This article addresses the urgent need for critical analysis of the relationships between sport and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals enshrined in the United Nations’ global development framework, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Importantly, there has yet to be any substantial academic exploration of the implications of the position accorded to sport as ‘an important enabler’ of the aims of 2030 Agenda and its broad set of Sustainable Development Goals. In beginning to address this gap, we draw on the concept of policy coherence for two reasons. First, the designation of a specific Target for policy coherence in the 2030 Agenda is recognition of its centrality in working towards Sustainable Development Goals that are considered as ‘integrated and indivisible’. Second, the concept of policy coherence is centred on a dualism that enables holistic examination of both synergies through which the contribution of sport to the Sustainable Development Goals can be enhanced as well as incoherencies by which sport may detract from such outcomes. Our analysis progresses through three examples that respectively focus on: the common orientation of the Sport for Development and Peace ‘movement’ towards education-orientated objectives aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 4; potential synergies between sport participation policies and the Sustainable Development Goal 3 Target for reducing non-communicable diseases; and practices within professional football in relation to several migration-related Sustainable Development Goal Targets. These examples show the relevance of the Sustainable Development Goals across diverse sectors of the sport industry and illustrate complexities within and across countries that make pursuit of comprehensive policy coherence infeasible. Nevertheless, our analyses lead us to encourage both policy makers and researchers to continue to utilise the concept of policy coherence as a valuable lens to identify and consider factors that may enable and constrain various potential contributions of sport to a range of Sustainable Development Goals.

Citation

Lindsey, I., & Darby, P. (2019). Sport and the Sustainable Development Goals: Where is the policy coherence?. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 54(7), 793-812. https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690217752651

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Dec 16, 2017
Online Publication Date Jan 22, 2018
Publication Date 2019
Deposit Date Dec 18, 2017
Publicly Available Date Dec 18, 2017
Journal International Review for the Sociology of Sport
Print ISSN 1012-6902
Electronic ISSN 1461-7218
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 54
Issue 7
Pages 793-812
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690217752651
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1342751

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Copyright Statement
Lindsey, I. & Darby, P. (2019). Sport and the Sustainable Development Goals: Where is the policy coherence? International Review for the Sociology of Sport 54(7): 793-812. Article first published online: January 22, 2018 Copyright © © The Author(s) 2018. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications





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