Leisure and ideology

A major difficulty in any attempted analysis of state involvement in the area of leisure (rather than recreation and sport) is the diffuse and indeterminate nature of the social phenomena which leisure encompasses. Such heterogeneity (and often indirect nature of state involvement) means that policy analysts have to be constantly sensitive to unintended consequences and implications of a range of legislation which may not, in any formal sense be about ‘leisure’. As a consequence one is constantly reminded of Luschen’s doubts as to whether there is a field of research which can be labelled leisure or merely a range of institutions and activities lumped together under the descriptive notion of leisure, a designation which is ideologically potent but analytically arid.