Sport Policy and Politics in an Era of Austerity

Austerity is perhaps the major challenge of our times, given the speed at which it arrived and the consequences of its impact upon society. The global financial crash and economic downturn was the catalyst for change and, against a backdrop of advice from experts adverse to Keynesian economics, the ideology of austerity grew and became the dominant thinking to steer economies out of recession.

This comprehensive volume draws upon both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies to provide a varied and contextually rich insight into sport, policy, and politics in an era of austerity. The authors cover a wide range of issues in a variety of organisational contexts and geographies, including sports participation across different socio-demographic groups; the impact of austerity on the provision of community sports; disability sport; public management of sport facilities; the performance of public sport facilities with respect to access, finance, utilisation, and customer satisfaction; the potential impact of austerity on sport for development; elite sport; and social inclusion and poverty.

This book makes a significant contribution to the current academic debate, while raising important considerations for policymakers and managers. It was originally published as a special issue of The International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics.

Dan Parnell is a Senior Lecturer in Business Management and Applied Researcher in Sport Business within the Sport Policy Unit at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.

Peter Millward is a Reader in Sociology at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. His research interests explore sport, social movements, and relational sociology, and the intersections between them.

Paul Widdop is a Senior Research Fellow in Sport Business in the School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University, UK.

Neil King is a Senior Lecturer in Sport Development and Management in the Department of Sport and Physical Activity at Edge Hill University, Lancashire, UK. Neil’s research interests include local authority sport and leisure services and non-profit sector sport governance.

Anthony May is Lecturer in Sport Management at Coventry University Business School, UK.