The limits and opportunities of self-regulation: Achieving international sport federations’ compliance with good governance standards

Research question: This article explores whether self-regulation has the potential to achieve the universal adoption of good governance by international sport federations (IFs). It introduces a framework on the basis of compliance theory to analyse IFs’ recent self-regulation initiatives, namely the Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance of the Olympic and Sports Movement (PGG) and the Key Governance Principles and Basic Indicators (KGP). Research methods: The analysis relies primarily on an extensive document analysis. In addition, 7 semi-structured interviews with officials who participate in relevant policy processes were conducted. The data were coded on the basis of the six compliance mechanisms identified in the theoretical framework. Results and findings: The empirical analysis demonstrates that the PGG’s system includes only general persuasion and social learning stimulation while the KGP’s system includes mechanisms that promote knowledge transfer, rule specification, persuasion, and social learning. These mechanisms constitute a necessary step towards truly achieving a common governance standard in IFs. However, because the KGP’s system lacks fully independent external monitoring of minimum criteria and because non-compliant federations do not face sanctions, this system is not likely to achieve the universal adoption of good governance by IFs. Implications: The universal implementation of good governance standards in IFs requires either co-regulation, where self- regulation’s persuasion and management mechanisms are supplemented by sanctions implemented by public and/or civil society actors, or meta-regulation, which entails that public actors impose a minimum standard for self-regulation that includes robust monitoring and sanctioning mechanisms.