An increasing share of light sports participants (e.g. self-organised runners) challenge traditional ‘Sport for All’ policy systems to target a more diversified array of people participating in sport and physical activity. The main aim of this article is to analyse whether light sport facilities, as a distinct local level policy intervention, can contribute to the goals of attracting ‘light’ and/or new sports participants with public means. The study is carried out in the context of a particular case of running facilities (i.e. bark running tracks, BRTs) in Flanders. The use of BRTs is investigated by structured face-to-face interviews with runners at the location of the BRT (n = 546; RR = 98.8%). The profile of users of BRTs is elaborated based on users’ characteristics (whether or not one started to run due to the provision of a BRT, the frequency and intensity of using the BRT) in bivariate logistic regression analysis. Next, reasons for using BRTs are investigated. It is concluded that BRTs mainly serve as a facility of the fragmented individualised society by reaching a large share of light sports participants (86%). However, it has the ability to reach runners at different levels, who show different patterns of using BRTs. It is suggested that so-called silent expectations in light facilities may function differently for different types of users. In this view, findings are discussed in order to identify policy implications related to Sport for All. …
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Philanthropy is on the rise in the Dutch visual arts. Fat cash prizes, big-name exhibitions, large-scale renovations, spectacular public artworks, and big scandals are changing the public display of art and undermining the democratic governance of art institutions. While some have critiqued the patron's rise to power, the majority of the art world remains silent, muted by a combination of ignorance and self-censorship. How can we overcome this deadlock and start cultivating a healthy public debate?
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Female entrepreneurship is still a limited phenomenon in European countries and its promotion ranks high on the EU policy agenda. Various frameworks have been offered to explain the main structural differences in entrepreneurship between men and women, emphasizing a variety of underlying factors. With a novel approach, this paper argues that due to a process of generation renewal the numerical difference between male and female entrepreneurship will diminish. Generation replacement is seen by sociologists and other social scientists as the motor behind cultural renewal. Our core interest in this paper in developing such a dynamic interpretation within the European context is the role of different generations (Silent Generation, Babyboomers, Generation X, Millennials). Younger cohorts of females are hypothesized to be more pro entrepreneurship and pro self-employment both in terms of attitudes, intentions, and behaviors, compared to older cohorts. They are furthermore assumed to converge with their male generation members in this regard. This paper empirically tests these two hypotheses by analyzing multi cross-sectional European data from the Eurobarometer over a span of thirty-five years (1980-2015). Results show that this generational approach sheds new light on explaining trends in female entrepreneurship. We find evidence of an increased growth in female entrepreneurship that can be attributed to generation replacement. This rise in total female entrepreneurship is characterized by diversity among European countries in the study. Positive attitudes toward entrepreneurship are essential to considering future self-employment. Education is a key factor. Female entrepreneurship, it is predicted, will become more prominent in Europe.
