Sport for Social Cohesion: A Conceptual Framework Linking Common Practice and Theory

Abstract

The development of theories in sport for development has increased over the last decade, with numerous general theories or frameworks being put forth by scholars. Nonetheless, theories exploring connections to specific outcomes are lacking, and this gap is especially striking regarding the vaunted connections between sport and social cohesion. Sport has been prominently positioned as a vehicle to promote social cohesion, yet the connections between sport and social cohesion have not been explored in a robust fashion. Literature and programmes have been criticised for failing to define social cohesion, and there remains a lack of knowledge concerning practices, activities, and mechanisms within programmes. As such, we neither have a clear picture of the goals being addressed nor the mechanisms supporting those goals. The following paper seeks to address these gaps by presenting a conceptual framework connecting common practices within programmes with existing theories and specific social cohesion outcomes. To do so, findings from extensive previous work in Europe are contextualised against existing theories. In turn, this generates a better understanding of the mechanisms in sport for social cohesion, provides guidance to implementers, and identifies areas for future development.

Diseño de un índice de cohesión social en un espacio rural e indígena: el caso de Huehuetla, Puebla

“…Sin embargo, la integración social alude principalmente, al acceso de los ciudadanos a niveles básicos de bienestar (Haro y Vázquez, 2018); mientras que la cohesión social, es un concepto más amplio, al considerar diferentes dimensiones y niveles de relación de proximidad-fortaleza (Ndiwakalunga y Yazdanifard, 2014). Al respecto, Moustakas (2023) menciona que, la problemática de la cohesión social es la falta de consenso y claridad en su definición, lo que genera confusiones en sus consecuencias e interpretaciones. El Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (Inter-American Development Bank, 2006), argumenta que es el conjunto de elementos que llevan al equilibrio entre los sujetos de una sociedad y se refleja en su grado de integración en su dimensión económica, social, política y cultural con la finalidad de alcanzar un objetivo.…”