Public Policies in Education, Sports, and Physical Activity in South America: From the "Ought to Be" to Praxis

Abstract

This article presents an ontological and pragmatic analysis of the development of public policies in education, physical activity, and sports—key spheres of social life in South American nations. It covers essential aspects of policy design and implementation processes, with a focus on public financing and its relationship with outcomes. The objective was to describe the regularities in the design and implementation process of public policies in education and sports in the region. The study included six countries (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru), utilizing bibliographic, content, and statistical analysis based on data from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in the period 2001-2020. The findings indicate that secondary education coverage levels, educational investment, and recreational and sports processes remain inadequate in the region, with uneven performance across countries. Relationships between secondary education coverage and public spending were determined through linear regression analysis. The lack of robust data complicated the analysis, representing a significant limitation for the effective design, implementation, and monitoring of public policies.