The relevance of sport-related behaviour patterns in the family for the sport participation of youth in Switzerland

Despite various efforts to promote sport participation among youth, social inequalities still exist. An explanation for these social inequalities could be traced back to transgenerational transmission of sport-related values and behaviour patterns in a family (Baur, 1989). Therefore, children’s socialisation to sport is strongly influenced by the parents’ sport-related values and sport behaviour (Burrmann, 2005). However, findings of previous studies are inconsistent, and the daily sport-related behaviour patterns of families have often not been taken into account. The paper deals with the question, to what extent sport participation of youth is influenced by factors such as the importance of sport, the self-evidence of regular sport activity, mutual support, shared sport activities, sport-related health-awareness and communication about sport in the family. In order to pursue this research question, socialisation theories were used as theoretical framework (Hurrelmann, 2006). Based on this approach, a quantitative online survey where 4’039 adolescents and young adults from the ages of 15 to 30 (n = 4’039, M = 21.48, SD = 4.64) answered questions according their sport participation and the sport-related patterns of their families. Furthermore, a qualitative study that included guideline-based interviews with adolescents and young adults (n = 13) were undertaken. Content analysis was used to analyse the interviews. Initial findings of the multiple regression analysis reveal that the most important predictors of sport participation of youth are communication about sport (β = .18, p < .001), mutual support (β = .13, p < .001), regular sport activity (β = .10, p < .01) and the importance of sport in the family (β = .10, p < .01). By means of content analysis, more in-depth information could be identified. The promotion of sport through sport-related behaviour patterns in the family appears to be a successful strategy to develop a durable sport commitment in youth. References Baur, J. (1989). Körper- und Bewegungskarrieren [Body and exercise careers]. Schorndorf: Hofmann. Burrmann, U. (2005). Zur Vermittlung und intergenerationalen "Vererbung" von Sport(vereins)engagements in der Herkunftsfamilie [On placing and "inheriting" intergenerational sport(club) commitment in the family of origin]. Sport und Gesellschaft, 2, 125–154. Hurrelmann, K. (2006). Einführung in die Sozialisationstheorie [Introduction to socialisation theory] (9th ed.). Studium Paedagogik. Weinheim: Beltz.

Innovation and Development in the Age of Climate Change Adaptation: Open or Closed?

Change Adaptation: Open or Closed? Paper read at the Second African International Economic Law Network Conference, 7-8 March 2013, Wits School of Law, Johannesburg, South Africa. In a time of rapid convergence of technologies, goods, services, hardware, software, the traditional classifications that informed past treaties fail to remove legal uncertainty, or advance welfare and innovation. As a result, we turn our attention to the role and needs of the public domain at the interface of existing intellectual property rights and new modes of creation, production and distribution of goods and services. The concept of open culture would have it that knowledge should be spread freely and its growth should come from further developing existing works on the basis of sharing and collaboration without the shackles of intellectual property. Intellectual property clauses find their way into regional, multilateral, bilateral and free trade agreements more often than not, and can cause public discontent and incite unrest. Many of these intellectual property clauses raise the bar on protection beyond the clauses found in the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). In this paper we address the question of the protection and development of the public domain in service of open innovation in accord with Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in light of the Objectives (Article 7) and Principles (Article 8) set forth in TRIPS. Once areas of divergence and reinforcement between the intellectual property regime and human rights have been discussed, we will enter into options that allow for innovation and prosperity in the global south. We then conclude by discussing possible policy developments.

The role of the G20 in WTO governance

Report by Professor Sungjoon Cho, Associate Professor of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law (Chair), and Charlotte Sieber-Gasser, Doctoral Research Fellow, World Trade Institute, University of Bern, Session 27, WTO Public Forum 2010: The Forces Shapping World Trade, pp.29-33. In the course of the financial crisis, the global geography of power has shifted from G8 to G20. The latter, although representing roughly two thirds of global trade, consists of relatively a small number of global players and is consequently excluding many others from decision-making at the international stage. Nevertheless, the G20 has been successful in its reaction to the financial crisis and became therewith an important new player within the international community. When highlighting how the G20 might interfere with the WTO, the panel voiced concerns over the political legitimacy of the G20, given the limited number of members and the global impact of its decisions. It agreed on the impression that although the G20 intends to extend its debates from the financial sector to world economy in general, it has so far little achieved in this direction, particularly when it comes to moving the Doha agenda forward. It remains, thus, open how the G20 will evolve in the coming few years, and what mandates it will shed or adopt. So far, the G20 has complemented the WTO and international financial institutions in handling the financial crisis. Yet, even if there is little evidence pointing towards a less cooperative role in the future, the desirability of a G20 commitment in WTO trade negotiations has yet to be debated. The panel concluded by providing ideas on how the potential of the G20 might be used to serve global interests even better in the future. In their concluding remarks, the panellists agreed that it remains to be seen whether or not the G20 will further broaden its agenda. Given the ebbing away of the financial crisis there is even the question whether the G20 will remain an important international forum for financial collaboration, or whether it has already served its cause and will eventually disappear from the international stage. The Chair concluded the well attended and lively panel with voicing the hope that the two international bodies – the G20 and the WTO – will work in a positive way together in the future and face the challenges and opportunities in their collaboration to the benefit of everyone.

The Extensive (but Fragile) Authority of the WTO Appellate Body

The authority of an international court (IC) is not necessarily evolutionary and its development unidirectional. This article addresses the authority of the Appellate Body (AB) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and shows how it rapidly and almost immediately became extensive, but has since exhibited signs of becoming more fragile. The article applies a typology of IC authority developed by Alter, Helfer and Madsen (2014) and explains the transformation from narrow authority (a dispute resolution venue under the GATT based on political negotiations) to extensive authority (a judicialized WTO dispute settlement system with a sophisticated case law) and presents empirical indicators of the rise of the AB’s authority. Such rapid development of extensive authority is arguably a unique case in international politics at the multilateral level. That authority nonetheless remains fragile, and shows signs that it could decline significantly for reasons we explain.