An Evaluation of the FIFA Reform Process of 2011-2013

My paper on the FIFA reform process has now been submitted -- it is to appear as part of a collection due out this summer before the World Cup.  Here is the abstract:

An Evaluation of the FIFA Reform Process of 2011-2013

Abstract

Following years of allegations of corruption and cronyism, in 2011 FIFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association which oversees global football (soccer), embarked upon an ambitious program of governance reform. The process was championed by the organization’s President, Sepp Blatter, and centered on the creation of a new body, the FIFA Independent Governance Committee. This paper evaluates the FIFA reform effort, which came to an end in 2013, drawing upon the well-developed academic literature on policy evaluation and which has been extensively applied to the appraisal of organizations in the public, private and non-profit sectors. A formal evaluation includes three distinct parts: goals to be achieved, metrics of attainment with respect to goals and data with respect to the metrics. A first evaluative perspective on goals and metrics considers the overall reform effort according to criteria drawn from (a) recommendations for reform commissioned by FIFA by an outside governance expert, (b) recommendations for FIFA governance reform put forward by Transparency International, an external governance watchdog, and (c) recommendations put forward by the FIFA IGC. A second evaluative perspective focuses on the performance of the FIFA IGC as an advisory body, applying more general criteria distilled from appraisals of advisory bodies across sports governance settings. The evaluation concludes that FIFA has taken some small steps towards improved governance, but that much work remains. The paper concludes by presenting broader recommendations for governance reform efforts within FIFA.

If you have followed this blog, my commentaries at PTG or my presentation there, then there won't be much new here, but it does pull all that together in a single paper.

Anyone wishing a copy of the paper can email me: rpielkejr at gmail.