Sport-for-All Policy in Taiwan: a case of ongoing change?

Abstract

This study analyses the extent of Taiwan's sport-for-all policy change during the policy-making and delivery process of the Sports Island Plan. Indicators of policy change including organization, legal framework and budget (Hogwood & Peters, 1983) were used to measure the degree to which the policy had changed. In addition to the analysis of official documents, 16 interviews with stakeholders of the Sports Island Plan were conducted from 2012 to 2014. Interviewees included legislators, officials from both central and local government and scholars involved in the policy-making process. The results revealed that while there had been significant changes in organization and budget, the perceptions of certain interviewees indicated problems in both design and delivery. Further analysis showed that the Sports Island Plan has not successfully addressed the shortcomings of Taiwan's sport-for-all policy. This suggests that future policies should take more account of local sports organizations.