Sport development and governmentality: fostering virtuous conduct?

Lindsey, I. (1970) Sport development and governmentality: fostering virtuous conduct? 4th Annual Political Studies Association Sport and Politics Study Group Conference, Leeds, UK. 26 Feb 2010.

Abstract

The neo-Foucaultian concept of governmentality has recently been used by different authors to explore governmental influence on sport development (e.g. Houlihan & Green, 2009; Lindsey, 2010). A core facet of the concept of governmentality is that ‘government seeks not to govern society per se, but to promote individual and institutional conduct that is consistent with government objectives’ (Raco & Imrie, 2000, p2191). Focusing on the promotion of partnership working and monitoring and evaluation, this paper is novel in making an explicitly normative assessment of governmentality by assessing the extent to which governing agencies promote virtuous conduct in sports development. In doing so, the paper will draw largely on MacIntyre’s (1985, p57) conception of a virtue as an ‘acquired human quality the possession and exercise of which tends to enable us to achieve those goods that are internal to [certain] practices’. The argument will proceed by linking both partnership working and monitoring and evaluation to virtuous human qualities that can contribute to the development of sport. However, research evidence will be presented that suggests that virtuous conduct is not necessarily promoted by governing agencies. The paper will conclude both by examining the limitations of the line of argument presented as well as considering how virtuous conduct could be encouraged to a greater extent in sports development.

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