by Tuomas Häkli, Sari Lappalainen, Juhani Merilehto, Kati Lehtonen,
Harri Jalonen & Petri Uusikylä
Vol. 16 2025, pages 177–211
Published October 20, 2025
https://doi.org/10.24834/sssf.16.177
Abstract
Systems thinking and complexity science have expanded in recent years within sport policy research, particularly in the examination of physical activity policies. This trend is based on a growing recognition of the complex nature of sport and sport policies, which calls for new theories and methods of analysis. To provide an overall picture of the current state of the research, we conducted a scoping review guided by the following research questions: What type of research has been conducted using systems approach in sport policy? What are the primary benefits and challenges regarding the use of systems approach reported in the study findings? Data were collected from the EBSCOhost, PubMed, and Scopus databases and reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR. Following the search, 19 articles were included. We found that the use of systems approaches in sport policy is rare, although it represents an emerging field of research. The findings confirmed that physical activity promotion emerged as the main focus area, whereas studies on organised sport were scarce. The results underscore the potential of incorporating systems approach into future sport policy research. However, there is a need to carefully evaluate both the opportunities and potential pitfalls associated with this approach. By doing so, researchers may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the sport policy system.
About the Authors
TUOMAS HÄKLI is a PhD student in Contemporary Culture Studies at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. He is also working as a researcher at Jamk University of Applied Sciences (Jamk). His research interests include international sport policy and sports media, and he is pursuing a doctoral dissertation on the construction of the European Union’s identity through sport.
SARI LAPPALAINEN is currently working as a researcher at Jamk University of Applied Sciences. She is a PhD student in Social and Health Management Studies at the University of Vaasa. Her research interests include public sport services and policies, governance and complexity of public value creation.
JUHANI MERILEHTO is a PhD student at University of Vaasa, focusing on hybrid work and distributed cognition. His area of expertise includes data- and statistical analyzes, intelligence analysis, organizational research, cyber warfare and digital transformation.
KATI LEHTONEN (PhD) is a Principal Researcher at Jamk University of Applied Sciences and she holds the title of Docent in Sport Governance and Management at Tampere University. Her research focuses on sport systems and organizations, as well as sports policy, governance, and management. At Jamk, Lehtonen leads a team of eight experts dedicated to collecting, analyzing, and reporting scientific and strategic data related to national sports policy practices.
HARRI JALONEN (PhD) is a Professor of Social and Health Management at the University of Vaasa, Finland. His research interests include complex governance systems, knowledge and ignorance management, value co-creation, and public service ecosystems.
PETRI UUSIKYLÄ (PhD) is a research director at the University of Vaasa (Preparedness and Resilience Research Platform). He has a comprehensive list of publications in the fields of innovation policy, sports policy, eGoverment, regulatory impact assessment, public budgeting, policy evaluation, systems analysis, complexity and methodology as well as European policy-making and public managements reform. He has also been government adviser on public policy evaluation, EU-policy making and performance management for several EU Member States and OECD-countries.