Social Capital And Sport Policies In Australia

Abstract

This article analyses how the concept of social capital and related themes of social inclusion, social connectedness and community well-being manifest within sport policies of Australian state governments and how this illustrates a high degree of policy transfer among policy agencies. The article argues that government policy makers appear to have made a number of unfounded assumptions about the relationship between sport and social capital. The article concludes with a discussion of how the use of social capital in these policies illustrates a high degree of policy transfer due to institutional similarities between policy agencies and trans-state communication.

Key words:

• Social capital
• sport policy
• policy transfer