The political economy of youth sports: can youth athletes be conceptualised as a common pool resource?
本文从政治经济学视角，运用公共池资源理论，以新西兰为例探讨青少年运动员是否可被视为类似渔业、森林的公共资源，并分析其对体育系统治理的启示。
Research Question This study examines whether youth athletes can be conceptualised as a Common Pool Resource (CPR) analogous to fisheries, forests, and volunteers. It applies a political economy perspective (CPR theory) to investigate if youth athletes meet CPR criteria and to explore implications for their management and governance within sports systems.Research Methods This exploratory conceptual paper uses the case of New Zealand to apply the CPR perspective to youth athletes. Employing a qualitative abductive approach, we summarise and integrate knowledge from goods economics, CPR literature, and sport sector studies, focusing on the structure and delivery of New Zealand sport. Alongside academic scholarship, we draw from sport organisations and media sources to provide additional context.Results and Findings Youth athletes can exhibit key CPR characteristics: they provide value/ utility to stakeholders, are non-excludable, subtractable, and subject to ‘appropriation’. Despite caveats (e.g. the role of agency), this perspective reveals significant challenges in managing youth athletes, including collective action dilemmas and potential tragedies of the commons.Implications The CPR perspective offers insights into the risks associated with youth sport, including the potential ‘tragedy of the commons’ occurring in the absence of specific governance structures. This study synthesises insights to explore the political economy of youth athlete management. We suggest that Ostrom et al's (1990) design principles, which advocate for decentralised, bottom-up governance, could mitigate such risks. Future research should assess the impact of these frameworks on youth sports system sustainability. These findings offer practical insights for policymakers and sport organisations.