Sport and the struggle for development: Conceptual approaches to sport for development and peace as an emerging field of evaluation - case studies from the public sector, academic sector and civil society led initiatives in South Africa

Abstract

Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) refers to the use of sport to promote varied outcomes beyond the playing field and encompasses a range of initiatives seeking to harness the power of sport for social change. Despite the rapid growth of the SDP field, there remain serious gaps in our collective understanding of which initiatives work best, how and why, and whether these can be scaled. Further, there remains little literature or robust debate around the governance of SDP, with limited conceptualisation of the optimal institutional arrangements and roles and responsibilities of the relevant stakeholders operating in this emerging sector. As such the best methods of cooperation and collaboration may be unclear, reducing the likelihood of strong partnerships, shared outcomes and ultimately greater impact. This study contributes to the SDP field as an emerging field of development cooperation and explores optimal governance of the SDP sector.