Author: Pleuni Stigter
MSc MADE AMS Institute - Exploring the relationship between public policy and social capital in free physical leisure activities
MADE Student Project
In public policies, sport is often used as a tool to reach an extensive list of social and economic aims. The municipality of Amsterdam is no exception in this, utilising incentivising sports policies for a broad target group of children, the elderly and people residing in developing neighbourhoods. These neighbourhoods are areas where many people have fewer opportunities than their fellow city dwellers in other districts, and also have a relatively low sports participation rate in comparison. In these neighbourhoods, a multitude of free physical leisure activity initiatives are at work to engage inhabitants in sports. This qualitative research aims to better understand the relationship between the social capital created in participating in these activities and the goals the municipality has posed in their policies from a sociological perspective. This research has been carried out in two developing neighbourhoods in the city of Amsterdam.
References can be found inside the document.
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