The dark side of governance networks: how private actors use discursive strategies in global sport governance

Arnout Geeraert*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

This article addresses the often-neglected political dimension of interactive processes in governance networks. It identifies six discursive strategies private actors use to manipulate the beliefs of public meta-governors: promoting favourable problem definitions and policy solutions, layering, conversion, ceremonialism, and dualism. The article argues that typical features of governance networks facilitate the use of these strategies. The empirical analysis illustrates how sport governing bodies have employed these tactics to maximize their autonomy in issues such as doping, match-fixing, and corruption by officials. It suggests that network governance may inherently favour opportunistic private actors, challenging existing assumptions towards establishing trust and consensus.
Original languageEnglish
JournalPublic Management Review
Early online date24 Jan 2025
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 24 Jan 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Funding

The author wishes to thank Jan-Pieter Beetz, Judith van Erp, Mirko Noordegraaf, Swati Srivastava, Lars Tummers, Joseph H.H. Weiler, and Malaika Schwedes-Awesti for sharing their inspiring comments. The article also benefited from very generous comments by the three anonymous reviewers and from discussions with the participants of the APSA 2024 panel Global Governance and Global Sports: Law, Politics, and Institutions and the 2024 hauser Colloquium, The Beautiful Game: Football, FIFA, and the Governance of Transnational Sport, hosted at NYU. The standard disclaimer applies.

FundersFunder number
Governance of Transnational Sport, hosted at NYU

    Keywords

    • Network governance
    • collaborative governance
    • discursive strategies
    • global sport governance
    • private authority

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