Behavioral economics in sport for development and peace: a viable route to innovation?

ABSTRACT

Rationale: Within the field of sport for development and peace (SDP), the funding landscape significantly influences organizational behavior and innovation. However, the potential for funders to help transform the field of SDP in meaningful, sustainable, efficacious, and ethical ways are often overlooked. In this paper, concepts from behavioral economics are introduced, with a focus on ways that funders can use these behavioral insights to support and promote best practices in the SDP field, while also driving innovation.

Approach: This paper draws on concepts from the field of behavioral economics with the most robust effects.

Findings: Nine tools for soft organizational change are outlined, including the use of incentives, norms, defaults, priming, and affect, with a particular focus on how they can be utilized by funders to support and promote both evidence-informed practice and innovation-informed practice by SDP organizations.

Practical Implications: Specific strategies are outlined for funders to translate into their everyday practice, along with future considerations for both practice and research.

Research Contribution: The field of behavioral economics presents a wealth of knowledge for funders to support and promote best practice, while also driving innovation, with the tools for soft organizational change inciting ripples throughout the system.

KEYWORDS:

• Funding
• nudge theory
• sport-based youth development
• best practice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

ORCID

Meredith A. Whitley http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8982-250X