The Collaborative Governance Approach to Cultural and Educational Activities in Major Sporting Events: An Empirical Study Based on the Artistic Empowerment Practice of the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games
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Abstract
This study aimed to address the research gap in the theoretical interpretation of arts empowerment within collaborative governance systems for major sporting events. It specifically examined the mechanisms and pathways through which arts empowerment facilitates multi-stakeholder collaboration in cultural-educational activities, using the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games as an empirical case. A qualitative exploratory case study approach was employed, utilizing multi-source data collection including in-depth semi-structured interviews with 42 core stakeholders (government officials, educators, artists, volunteers, and youth participants), supplemented by participant observation and document analysis. Thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo software following Braun and Clarke's six-step framework, with triangulation applied to ensure credibility and reliability.
The research identified four core functions of arts empowerment (cultural transmission/value guidance, cross-cultural exchange, youth development, and social participation cultivation) and revealed a multi-layered collaborative governance structure with government leadership. Four pathway mechanisms were established: emotional connection, value identification, capacity enhancement, and network construction, with emotional connection emerging as the most critical driver. Arts empowerment effectively serves as a universal communication bridge that eliminates cultural barriers and promotes deep emotional exchange among diverse stakeholders, though successful collaboration requires differentiated strategies and normalized coordination mechanisms.
This work demonstrated that arts empowerment systematically enhances collaborative governance in major sporting events' cultural-educational dimensions through identifiable mechanisms and pathways. The findings provided a theoretical framework for understanding how cultural variables can be embedded in event governance networks, offering practical insights for optimizing multi-stakeholder collaboration in future mega-events.
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