Anti-Doping
Organizational structures and performance measurement of National Anti-Doping Organizations – an international comparison
The project will analyze the prerequisites for high performance of NADOs in creating a doping-free environment for athletes at different levels both in organized and in unorganized sports. By studying five NADOs in different European countries (Germany, United Kingdom, Norway, the Netherlands and Austria), recommendations should be made to improve existing prevention strategies in all anti-doping organizations.
The analysis will firstly identify the determinants of organizational performance of NADOs. For that purpose the study relies on five more detailed key aspects that influence the performance of public sector organizations in general, namely: resources, regulations, organizational structures, management practices and market structures. Starting from these factors, it will identify indicators suitable to measure and map the differences between the concerned NADOs relating to the mentioned factors and thereby giving an overview about differences in possible sources that can explain the expected performance disparities.
The second step of the project is the conceptualization of a performance benchmark of selected NADOs. This benchmark provides answers to the questions of how effectively NADOs prevent athletes from using performance enhancing drugs and how they control and sanction the use of prohibited drugs in a comparative perspective at the elite and non-elite level. Furthermore this benchmark should give incentives for other NADOs to participate in these performance comparisons.
As a third, the linkage between input, output and outcome will be analyzed which allows us to assess whether environmental and internal factors (i.e. resources, regulation, market structure, organization, management) of NADOs in different countries correlate with their performance data. The analysis of these variances can reveal distinct explanations for the identification of performance patterns. The closer scrutiny of these relations will provide further insights into the causes of success or failure of anti doping programs. These explanations will identify concrete conditions that are conducive for a successful NADO. Such information is highly important for the appropriate and cost-effective funding for all NADOs (and other stakeholders of the World Anti-Doping Program), both inside and outside the European Union.
Finally, conclusions, best practices and recommendations can be drawn for further improvements in the design and implementation of anti doping programs. These insights will be shared with WADA and all known NADOs, thus enabling a more effective anti-doping fight. The five participating NADOs will play an active role in disseminating the final results and the implications for doping prevention. The collaboration between public administration, political science, sports science and anti-doping specialists as well as the cooperation between a University and five NADOs offers a unique opportunity to combine the insights of the different disciplines and of scientists and practitioners.
Duration: 2013-2017