Being an adult learner in Europe and the UK: persisting inequalities and the role of the welfare state

The European Commission’s aims in relation to education and training have been expressed by a set of benchmarks and indicators (Ioannidou in EERJ 6: 336–347, 2007; Grek in Journal of Education Policy 24: 23–37, 2009; Lawn and Grek in Europeanizing Education: Governing a New Policy Space. Symposium Books, Oxford, 2012; Holford and Mohorcic-Spolar in Lifelong Learning in Europe: Equity and Efficiency in the Balance, pp. 39–61, 2012). In relation to adult learning, it includes the benchmark that by 2020, 15% of the adult population between the ages of 25 and 64 needs to participate in at least one lifelong learning activity, measured on a four weeks basis (European Commission in Strategic Framework for Education and Training. European Commission, Brussels, 2009)

The Contribution of Sports Clubs to Public Welfare in European Societies. A Cross-National Comparative Perspective

This chapter presents the results from a cross-national comparative analysis of European sports clubs’ contribution to public welfare and offers potential explanations for the similarities and differences identified. The analysis reveals how sports clubs make a significant contribution to public welfare with regard to the four functions examined: health promotion, social integration, democracy and voluntary work. However, the contribution of sports clubs to these functions can mainly be understood as side effects to the activities offered by clubs. Sports clubs’ contribution to public welfare is in many respects relatively similar, but the analysis also identifies significant differences between countries. Potential explanations for the similarities and differences identified are examined at different levels of analysis. At the macro-level (societal level), explanations pertaining to the historical origin and political opportunity structure for sports clubs are discussed. At the meso-level (sports club level), potential explanations regarding the constitutive elements and typical features, the organisational capacity as well as the structural characteristics of sports clubs are discussed. At the micro-level (member level), potential explanations pertaining to the social background as well as motivation and engagement of members are discussed. The chapter ends with five awareness points to enhance sports clubs’ contribution to public welfare