Strengthening global anti-doping policy through bilateral collaboration: the example of Norway and China

The aim of the article is to evaluate the contribution of bilateralism to global anti-doping policy. The article begins with an assessment of contemporary challenges facing the World Anti-Doping Agency in attempting to strengthen compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code and notes the weaknesses in compliance. The analytical framework for the article is derived from regime theory, neo-institutionalism and the concept of isomorphism. This is followed by a discussion of the nature of the anti-doping global policy regime and the part that bilateralism might play in the various stages of regime development. The development of bilateral collaboration is traced, and the leading role played by Norway in its development is examined. The central section of the article utilises neo-institutionalist theory and the concept of isomorphism to explore the case of Norway’s bilateral links with China and identifies the outputs of the collaboration and also the motives of both partners. The article concludes with an analy...