This innovative new text examines sport's relationship with politics and argues that sport has always been political, even as far back as antiquity. However, in the last 30 years there has been an unprecedented politicization of sport through increasing government intervention. Jonathan Grix takes a comprehensive and engaging look at sport politics by examining state involvement in initiatives from sports mega-events through to grass-roots and community sport activities. Providing an accessible introduction to this growing area of study, the text examines a number of approaches to the topic - including theories from Political Science, Sociology and International Relations - and adopts a critical framework throughout. In doing so the text discusses the relationship between social capital and sport, how governments use sport for non-sporting objectives and the role of governance in sport policy. Real-world examples demonstrate just how entwined sport and politics are: from ardent soccer fans effectively 'locked-in' by ever-increasing ticket prices, to taxpayer's money funding ever more extravagant international sports mega-events, to the moral and political implications of doping.

This edited volume explores the analytical possibilities of contrasting Brazil and the United Kingdom as examples of emerging and established powers, respectively. It is organised around several themes focusing on the roles of Brazil and the United Kingdom in the management of global economic governance, international development, international security, the politics of regional integration, global climate change governance, and the political leveraging of sports mega-events. Each chapter explores Brazil's and/or the UK's particular foreign policies and their resulting impact on these key areas of global governance and politics. The conceptual focus is on these states' motivations as either status-seekers (Brazil) or status-maintainers (UK) in the context of a fast moving international landscape. The chapters in this book directly or indirectly indicate that these states wish to draw attention to their aspiring or established positions as key global players through either visible foreign policy action and/or symbolic rhetoric. This book was originally published as a special issue of Global Society.

This edited volume explores the analytical possibilities of contrasting Brazil and the United Kingdom as examples of emerging and established powers, respectively. It is organised around several themes focusing on the roles of Brazil and the United Kingdom in the management of global economic governance, international development, international security, the politics of regional integration, global climate change governance, and the political leveraging of sports mega-events. Each chapter explores Brazil's and/or the UK's particular foreign policies and their resulting impact on these key areas of global governance and politics. The conceptual focus is on these states' motivations as either status-seekers (Brazil) or status-maintainers (UK) in the context of a fast moving international landscape. The chapters in this book directly or indirectly indicate that these states wish to draw attention to their aspiring or established positions as key global players through either visible foreign policy action and/or symbolic rhetoric. This book was originally published as a special issue of Global Society.

This is a multidisciplinary contribution to the burgeoning literature on and around mega-events in general and sports mega-events in particular. The volume is not specifically about mega-events or their management, but rather how such events act as a lens through which a number of important and critical questions about the decisions to host, the host nation, its society and the politics of culture, sport and leisure more broadly can be dealt with. In doing so this book seeks to build on, and out from initial work on (sports) mega-events by acknowledging the major shift towards 'emerging' states awarded such events since 2006 and incorporating the latest advances in research that have taken place in recent years. For example, debates about what constitutes a 'mega-event', what is meant by a 'legacy', what is 'soft power' and so on are dealt with from a team of leading academics from a variety of academic disciplines. This book was previously published as a special issue of Leisure Studies.

The London Olympics of 2012 acted as a focal point for an examination of UK sport policy. Individual chapters from leading specialists in their fields focus upon the central components of the UK's 'model' of sport - for example elite, school and community sport and talent ID policies - and discuss what kind of 'legacy' 2012 is likely to leave on the sports landscape in years to come. The concept 'legacy' is a common theme running through all contributions which themselves stem from a wide variety of academic disciplines and sub-disciplines, including sport psychology, political science, sports studies, cultural studies and sociology. A wide range of topics and organisations are covered throughout the volume, including coaching, talent ID, school sports partnerships, PE and youth sport, participation in sport, the IOC and the Olympic Charter, the Olympic Movement and Islamic Culture and, finally, issues of regeneration through sports mega-events. This book was published as a special issue of the International Journal of Sport Policy.

Set against a backdrop of concerns about the potential break-up or radical change to the global world order, this volume sets out to investigate the use of sports mega-events by a number of emerging states. Sports mega-events, it is argued, can be understood as a key component in states' 'soft power' strategies, that is, their attempts to showcase their nations on the international stage, increase their power relative to others via non-coercive means and to increase trade and tourism. Many studies on soft power simply cite the concept's founder (Joseph Nye) and make little attempt at unpicking the mechanisms behind its creation. This volume does this by shining a light on emerging economies and by putting forward a soft power 'ideal type' to aid researchers in understanding the strategies employed by states in advancing their interests.

The London Olympics of 2012 acted as a focal point for an examination of UK sport policy. Individual chapters from leading specialists in their fields focus upon the central components of the UK's 'model' of sport - for example elite, school and community sport and talent ID policies - and discuss what kind of 'legacy' 2012 is likely to leave on the sports landscape in years to come. The concept 'legacy' is a common theme running through all contributions which themselves stem from a wide variety of academic disciplines and sub-disciplines, including sport psychology, political science, sports studies, cultural studies and sociology. A wide range of topics and organisations are covered throughout the volume, including coaching, talent ID, school sports partnerships, PE and youth sport, participation in sport, the IOC and the Olympic Charter, the Olympic Movement and Islamic Culture and, finally, issues of regeneration through sports mega-events. This book was published as a special issue of the International Journal of Sport Policy.

Introduction * The Nature of Research * The 'Nuts and Bolts' of Research * Getting Started in Research * The Building Blocks of Research * Introducing the Key Research Paradigms * The Types and Uses of Theory in Research * Introducing Research Methods * Academic Standards, Plagiarism and Ethics in Research * Conclusion: Summary of Key Points * Appendix 1: Stages of Research * Appendix 2: Glossary of Terms * Bibliography.

The 10 essays of this collection are derived from a group of courses developed by the U. of Birmingham's (UK) Institute for German Studies, which is devoted to the social sciences. The essays consider the (British) research methods used for studying issues in Germany by researchers in economics, pol

Fully revised for the third edition, this popular text provides an advanced yet accessible introduction to the tools, terminology and research perspectives that students need to know in order to engage in academic debate and successfully complete research-based assignments. It first explores the language and nature of research, before developing readers' understanding of different research methods and the role of theory in research. Chapters are complemented by examples, boxed summaries of key ideas and suggestions for further reading. This text will be an essential resource for advanced undergraduates and postgraduates of all disciplines. New to this Edition: - Includes new examples and material on managing the research process

This innovative new text examines sport's relationship with politics and argues that sport has always been political, even as far back as antiquity. However, in the last 30 years there has been an unprecedented politicization of sport through increasing government intervention. Jonathan Grix takes a comprehensive and engaging look at sport politics by examining state involvement in initiatives from sports mega-events through to grass-roots and community sport activities. Providing an accessible introduction to this growing area of study, the text examines a number of approaches to the topic - including theories from Political Science, Sociology and International Relations - and adopts a critical framework throughout. In doing so the text discusses the relationship between social capital and sport, how governments use sport for non-sporting objectives and the role of governance in sport policy. Real-world examples demonstrate just how entwined sport and politics are: from ardent soccer fans effectively 'locked-in' by ever-increasing ticket prices, to taxpayer's money funding ever more extravagant international sports mega-events, to the moral and political implications of doping.

Written by an academic and a librarian, this book is dedicated to helping students find and use a variety of resources, both print and online. It includes guidance on how to carry out a literature review as well as the skills needed for finding and evaluating information, with advice on referencing correctly and avoiding plagiarism.

The first complete introduction to the new model of social science and humanities postgraduate research. Based on the leading current course of postgraduate research training, a programme that will become the norm for postgraduate research over the next two or three years. Designed as a set text for '3 plus 1' and similar programmes * The key tools and terminology of research * What to do before beginning the project * Funding * All about the student-supervisor relationship * The viva examination * The process of writing a thesis * Ethics and plagiarism in research, especially the use of the internet * How to get published