What African Governments and Soccer Associations Do To Realize Their People's Hopes

Since the 1990s, Africa’s people have seen many policy initiatives aimed—at least officially—at expanding exports and achieving middle and high-income status and fostering success on the global soccer field. The main export and economic policy actors are typically in government and include officials in finance, trade and industry, planning, and other central ministries. The main soccer policy actors are in national football associations.

The policy efforts these actors have devised are obviously different when it comes to economics and soccer and across country and time. �There are similarities, however, in the general categories of activities most countries have undertaken in the two arenas (even across time). I have identified five such activity categories from reviews of policy products like plans, strategies, and vision documents and statements in both the economics and soccer domains.

As noted, countries do many different things in their policy initiatives. These five categories of activity are common, however, and one is unlikely to find a government or soccer association that does not do something in each category in their effort to build their country’s export capability or improve its soccer performance.

via matthewandrews.typepad.com