Josef Fahlen

Josef Fahlen is a Professor at the Department of Sport and Social Sciences at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (NIH). He holds a primary position as Professor at Umeå University in Sweden, with a secondary appointment ("professor II") at NIH, indicating a part-time or adjunct role. His work bridges academic research and practical applications in sport governance and policy implementation.

Professor Fahlen's research focuses on the intersection of sports governance and organization, examining how sports-related policies are formed, implemented, and evaluated. His work specifically investigates how political governance, leadership, and organizational structures have real consequences for sports practice regarding power, resources, and the prioritization of different types of activities and target groups. His research employs institutional theory and qualitative methods to understand these complex dynamics.

His current research projects include: 1) INAMOS: Integration of Newly Arrived Migrants through Organised Sport - From European Policy to Local Sports Club Practice; and 2) Towards new moral high grounds? Sport integrity instruments and their transformative effects. These projects reflect his interest in how policy translates into practice at the local level and how sports organizations navigate ethical and governance challenges.

An analysis of Professor Fahlen's recent publications (2018-2025) reveals consistent focus areas in sports governance, organizational theory, and policy implementation. His work increasingly addresses issues of inclusion (particularly regarding migrants and youth), indigenous sports governance, and the ethical dimensions of sports administration. There's a clear trajectory toward examining how formal governance structures interact with informal organizational practices to shape sports experiences at the grassroots level.

Professor Fahlen has made significant contributions to understanding sports policy processes as interconnected chains of legitimizing acts, sports governance as influenced by nomination committee practices, and the organizational footprint of sports integrity systems. His collaborative work, often with researchers like Maria Cecilia Stenling, Eivind Åsrum Skille, and Anna-Maria Strittmatter, has produced influential frameworks for analyzing sports organizations and governance structures.