Are National Platforms Appropriate Vehicles To Tackle Match-fixing? A Process Tracing Study in Six Countries
European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research
Published online on March 19, 2026
Abstract
{"p"=>"Match-fixing is an important and growing threat to the integrity of sport worldwide. In their fight against match-fixing, the Council of Europe constructed an international treaty which urges countries signing or ratifying the Convention to collaborate in interorganizational networks (i.e., National Platforms). This study explored how the governance mode of these networks relates to collaboration and to the prevention, detection, and sanctioning of match-fixing. A comparative case study was conducted across six National Platforms. We used Process Tracing as a method to explore whether and how collaboration was a causal mechanism linking network governance mode to output. We found that a shared participant governed network structure leads to high principled engagement, shared motivation, and capacity for joint action, and that these collaborative dynamics result in the most integrative approach to tackling match-fixing. The findings increase understanding of whether and how National Platforms are effective public policy vehicles in tackling match-fixing."}